The question involves applying Boyle's Law from physics to determine the change in pressure of a gas when it is compressed, and understanding how pressure and volume are inversely related for a gas within a sealed container.
The student's question pertains to the behavior of gas under compression, which is a concept in physics explained by Boyle's Law. Boyle's Law states that the pressure (P) of a gas is inversely proportional to its volume (V) when temperature and amount of gas are kept constant. From the information provided, the initial pressure of the gas is 250 Pa and, after compression, the volume is reduced to 50 cm³ with a new pressure of 420 Pa.
To relate the initial and final states of the gas, we can use the formula P1V1 = P2V2, where P1 and V1 are the initial pressure and volume, and P2 and V2 are the final pressure and volume, respectively.
So, understanding the relationship between pressure and volume for gases can be useful for various practical applications in the real world, like in designing cylinders and pistons in engines.