Question

If a student has 24.6 L of oxygen gas at 2.5 ATM what is the pressure if the value compress to 18.7 L

Answer 1

Step 1

Boyle's law states that the pressure of a given mass of an ideal gas is inversely proportional to the volume it occupies if the temperature and the amount of the gas remain constant.

Mathematically:

`P1\text{ x V1}=P2\text{ x V2 \lparen1\rparen}`

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Step 2

Information provided:

P1 = pressure 1 = 2.5 atm

V1 = volume 1 = 24.6 L

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P2 = unknown

V2 = 18.7 L

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Step 3

P2 is found from (1):

`\begin{gathered} P1\text{ x V1 = P2 x V2} \\ \frac{P1\text{ x V1}}{V2}=P2 \\ \frac{2.5\text{ atm x 24.6 L}}{18.7\text{ L}}=3.3\text{ atm} \end{gathered}`

Answer: P2 = 3.3 atm