Boyle's Law

pV=constant
Boyle's Law describes the relationship between the
pressure and volume of a fixed mass of gas at
constant temperature . The pressure is caused by
the gas molecules bumping into the walls of the
container.
The pressure exerted by a gas at constant
temperature varies inversely with the volume of the
gas. This means that if you increase the one the
other must decrease so that when you multiply them
together you get the same answer. For example, if
the volume is halved, the pressure is doubled; and if
the volume is doubled, the pressure is halved.

The reason for this effect is that a gas is

made up of loosely spaced molecules
moving at random. If a gas is compressed in
a container, these molecules are pushed
together; so, the gas occupies less volume.
The molecules, having less space across
which to move, hit the walls of the
container more frequently and therefore
exert an increased pressure.
Boyle's Law actually applies only to an
ideal, theoretical gas. When real gases
are compressed at a constant
temperature, changes in the
relationship between pressure and
volume occur accoring to the law as
long as the volume does not get too
small (or the pressure too high). When
that happens the gas starts to liquefy
and a 'gas law' no longer applies!
The law is accurate enough to be useful in a number of practical applications. It is used,
for example, in calculating the volume and pressure of internal-combustion engines and
steam engines.
The law was first proposed in 1662 by Robert Boyle. In 1676, Edme Mariotte of France
independently came to the same conclusion, and it is sometimes called Mariotte's Law.

Because pV = constant that means that p1V1 = constant and so does p2V2. We can
therefore write:
p1V1=p2V2 (at constant temperature)
where
V1 equals the original volume,
V2 equals the new volume,
p 1 the original pressure, and
p2 the new pressure.

To get a straight line graph you need to rearrange the equation into the form Y = mx+c
pV = constant
so, p = constant x 1/V
or, V = constant x 1/p
There is no intercept - the line goes through the origin. You have to think carefully about the units on the
axes though.
What is the unit for pressure? It is the pascal.... so what is the unit of the inverse of pressure?.... the
inverse of the pascal!