Question

A sealed balloon occupies a volume of 250 mL at an unknown temperature. When the temperature is altered to 30 C, the balloon's volume becomes 0.5 L. Calculate the initial temperature of the air in the balloon.

Answer 1

Initial temperature, T1 = 15°C

Step-by-step explanation:

Given the following data;

Initial volume, V1 = 250 mL to Liters = 250/1000 = 0.25 L

Final temperature, T2 = 30°C

Final volume, V2 = 0.5 L

To find the initial temperature T1, we would use Charles' law.

Charles states that when the pressure of an ideal gas is kept constant, the volume of the gas is directly proportional to the absolute temperature of the gas.

Mathematically, Charles is given by;

`\frac {V}{T} = K`

`(V1)/(T1) = (V2)/(T2)`

Making T1 the subject of formula, we have;

`T_(1)= (V_(1))/(V_(2)) * T_(2)`

Substituting into the formula, we have;

`T_(1)= (0.25)/(0.5) * 30`

`T_(1)= 0.5 * 30`

Initial temperature, T1 = 15°C