NAME PERIOD DATE

4. BOYLE'S LAW
STRUCTURED

Driving Question | Objective

How is the pressure of a gas affected by changes in the volume of the container enclosing it? Experimentally
determine the mathematical relationship between the pressure of a gas and the volume it occupies.

Materials and Equipment

 Data collection system  Luer lock connector1
 PASCO Wireless Pressure Sensor1  Tubing1
 Syringe, 60-mL1  Scissors
1
www.pasco.com/ap44

PASCO Wireless Pressure

Sensor

Background
Relative to their size, the molecules in a gas are widely spaced. Because of this, the specific type of molecule has far
less impact on the properties of a gas compared to its impact on the properties of a liquid or solid.
Using only a few macroscopic properties, we can develop a model that describes the behavior of an ideal gas. Since
different gases behave similarly, this model applies quite accurately to a variety of real gases, including the mixture
of molecules that constitutes the air around us.
Gas molecules are constantly in motion, colliding with each other and with
the walls of the container that might enclose them. Each collision between a
gas molecule and the container wall results in the wall exerting a force on
the molecule that changes the molecule's momentum. According to
Newton's Third Law, the molecule exerts a force equal in magnitude and
opposite in direction on the wall.
The enormous number of molecules in even a small parcel of air ensures
that a statistically large and relatively consistent number of molecules
collide with the wall in any short time period. The average force F that
these collisions exert on a given area A of the container wall is the average
pressure P, which can be expressed as
F
P 
A
We can measure this average pressure of the gas with a pressure sensor.
In this activity, you will investigate how this gas pressure varies as the volume of the container is changed.

PASCO / PS-3815 1
 4. BOYLE'S LAW / STRUCTURED

Safety
Follow these important safety precautions in addition to your regular classroom procedures:
 Do not to exceed the measurement range of the sensor. The PASCO Wireless Pressure Sensor's measurement
range is 20 to 400 kPa. Applying pressures outside this range could permanently damage the sensor.
 You will apply significant force on the syringe to change its volume. Grasp the syringe firmly with two hands
and use caution to avoid slipping and potentially injuring yourself or those nearby.

Procedure
SET UP

1. Use scissors to cut a section of tubing approximately 1 cm long.

2. Firmly attach that tubing to the end of the syringe.

3. Insert the barbed end of the Luer lock connector into the open end of the tubing. Ensure
the barb is fully covered by the tubing for an airtight fit.

4. Set the syringe volume to 10 mL.

5. Insert the Luer lock connector into the port of the pressure sensor and turn it clockwise
to tighten it.
NOTE: The sequence of the previous two steps is crucial for correctly setting the amount of
air in the syringe.

6. Connect the Wireless pressure sensor to the data collection system and position the
sensor and syringe close to you on the table top.

7. Create a digits display showing the barometric pressure measured by the sensor in units of kilopascals (kPa).

COLLECT DATA

8. Record the current syringe volume (10 mL) and corresponding pressure in Table 1 of the Data Analysis section
below.

9. Adjust the syringe volume to 20 mL and record the corresponding pressure in Table 1 once it has stabilized.
NOTE: Since you'll be holding the syringe with two hands, have a lab partner record the measurements.

10. Repeat data collection for these additional volumes: 30 mL, 40 mL, and 50 mL. Record these volumes and the
corresponding pressures in Table 1.

2 PASCO / PS-3815
 4. BOYLE'S LAW / STRUCTURED

Data Analysis
Table 1: Gas pressure for various syringe volumes
Volume Pressure 1/Volume
(mL) (kPa) (mL−1)
10 100.4 0.100
20 54.7 0.050
30 36.2 0.033
40 28.2 0.025
50 22.5 0.020

1. In the table above, identify two volume measurements that represent a doubling of the volume. What is the
relationship between the two corresponding pressure measurements? Does the same relationship hold for any
other pairs of measurements that represent a doubling of the volume?

______________________________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________________________

2. What type of mathematical relationship (proportional, squared, inverse, inverse squared, et cetera) between
pressure and volume is implied by your observations above?

______________________________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________________________

3. Calculate and record the inverse volume (1/volume) in units of inverse milliliters (mL –1) for each volume
measurement in Table 1.

4. Plot a graph of pressure versus 1/volume in the blank Graph 1 axes below. Be sure to label both axes with the
correct scale and units.
Graph 1: Gas pressure versus inverse volume

PASCO / PS-3815 3
 4. BOYLE'S LAW / STRUCTURED

Analysis Questions
1. Based on your data, express the relationship between the pressure P and volume V by completing this
proportionality statement:

P 

2. Convert the proportionality statement above into an equation by introducing a proportionality constant k:

P 

3. The Ideal Gas Law specifies the relationship between an ideal gas's absolute pressure P, volume V, absolute
temperature T, and number of molecules N using Boltzmann's constant k B :
PV  N k B T

We can rearrange the Ideal Gas Law equation as follows:

N kBT
P 
V

Compare this form of the Ideal Gas Law to your equation in the previous step. If your equation were a reduced
form of the Ideal Gas Law, which terms from the Ideal Gas Law would be represented in your equation's
proportionality constant k?
k=

4. Is it reasonable to assume that the number of molecules of air in the syringe was constant during your
experiment? Explain.

______________________________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________________________

5. Is it reasonable to assume that the temperature of the air in the syringe was constant during your experiment?
Explain.

______________________________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________________________

4 PASCO / PS-3815
 4. BOYLE'S LAW / STRUCTURED

Synthesis Questions
1. Boyle's Law is sometimes expressed as P1V1 = P2V2, which relates the pressure and volume of a given gas
sample in two different situations at the same temperature. Show and explain how this expression can be
derived from the form P = k/V, where k is a constant.

______________________________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________________________

2. The volume of air in the lungs of a typical human is 6.0 L. Traditional free divers, known for their ability to
hold their breath during long dives while gathering sponges or pearls, could descend underwater to a depth of
30 m, where the pressure is four times that at the surface. If such divers hold their breath during the descent and
the volume of air in the lungs changed according to Boyle's Law, what would be the volume of air in their lungs
at 30 m?

3. A hydrogen-filled weather balloon is roughly a sphere of radius 1.0 m when released from sea level. What
would be the radius of the same balloon once it has risen to an altitude of 32 km, where the atmospheric
pressure drops to a hundredth of that at sea level? Assume the temperature remains constant and the balloon
does not significantly constrain the expansion of the gas it contains.

4. Describe at a molecular level why the gas pressure in a syringe is halved when you double its volume, keeping
the temperature constant.

______________________________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________________________

PASCO / PS-3815 5
 4. BOYLE'S LAW / STRUCTURED

5. The change in pressure and volume of an enclosed gas taken from state A to state B at constant temperature
is shown in the graph below. Was work done on the gas or by the gas? If the internal energy of the gas stayed the
same during this process, did the gas absorb or release thermal energy? Explain your reasoning.

______________________________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________________________

6 PASCO / PS-3815