Final answer:
Option C, 'Increasing volume increases pressure,' is inconsistent with the ideal gas law, specifically Boyle's law, which states that at constant temperature and amount of gas, pressure decreases as volume increases.
Step-by-step explanation:
The question which asks 'Which observation is inconsistent with the ideal gas law?' refers to the understanding of the behavior of gases as described by the ideal gas law. The ideal gas law is PV = nRT, where P is pressure, V is volume, T is temperature, and n is the number of moles of the gas, with R being the ideal gas constant. According to this law:
- Increasing temperature (T) increases pressure (P) if the volume (V) is constant, in agreement with Gay-Lussac's law.
- Decreasing volume (V) increases pressure (P) if the temperature (T) is constant, in agreement with Boyle's law.
- Decreasing temperature (T) increases pressure (P) if the volume (V) is decreased, which is generally true if we manipulate other variables to enforce this condition.
Given these principles, we can deduce that option C, 'Increasing volume increases pressure', is inconsistent with the ideal gas law. According to Boyle's law (a direct application of the ideal gas equation), at constant temperature and amount of gas, pressure should decrease as volume increases, which is the opposite of the statement in option C.