Name:Hanson

Investigating Boyle’s law using a pressure meter

Objective: to test Boyle’s law using a pressure meter

Background information:
Boyle’s law describes the relationship between pressure and volume of a gas under an
isothermal process, meaning there is no change in temperature. It also assumes that
the amount of gas (in moles) does not change. Under these circumstances, the product
of pressure and volume is always a constant.
PV=k
Or
P1V1=P2V2
The pressure meter has a scaled container (containing air) showing the volume of the
gas and a measuring instrument showing there pressure change. Using the handle to
press to change the volume of the gas, the change in pressure can be observed and
therefore calculated.

Equipment:
Pressure meter
Air container
Human hand

Methodology:
1. Prepare the pressure meter
2. Find pressure zero point and record the volume
3. Press the handle to half of the volume according to the scale on the container
4. Record the change in pressure (in MPa)
5. Using the two volumes and two pressure values, with addition of the atmospheric
pressure, which is assumed as 1 atm here (1*10^5 Pa), calculate whether
P1V1=P2V2
6. Repeat the process

Safety:
Do not press too hard, or hands may be injured

Error may come from:

1. Air pressure at the day is not 1 atm
2. The screw on the other end of the pressure meter is not screwed, which may cause
some air to escape causing inconsistent results
3. Not enough data

Data:
Volume (cm^3) Pressure change(MPa)

80 40 0.005 0.115

70 35 0.015 0.13

Pressure Change: 0.005 0.115 0.015 0.13 (MPa) = 0.05 1.15 0.15 1.3 *10^5 Pa
respectively (converted for easier calculation)
Pressure: 1+pressure change 1.05, 2.15, 1.15, 2.3 (*10^5Pa)

Since the volume is halved, the pressure should be doubled

2.15/1.05=2.04
2.3/1.15=2
The results are satisfactory, the pressure is indeed doubled.

Conclusion
The experiment turned out almost perfectly with a 2% inaccuracy in one result and a
perfect result in the other. This means that the experiment was carried out carefully
and precisely. The fluctuation of the force provided by the hand on the handle may
have caused the pressure needle to give unstable results, causing error. Also Boyle’s
law is an ideal gas law, meaning assuming that the molecules are all perfect spheres,
they collide perfectly elastically, and the intermolecular forces between molecules are
neglected. This may have caused small deviation from the accurate value in the
results. It can also be that the volume was not exactly halved since the scale was not
very accurate in the first time. However, given the limitations of the equipment, the
results are satisfactory and accurate. It is good enough for proving Boyle’s law to be
true, as the pressure did turn out to be doubled.

Improvements:
-use barometer to calculate the exact atmospheric pressure of the day, however since
the atmospheric pressure would be constant, it would not affect the result
-the numbers on the pressure meter can be recorded with higher accuracy
-the volume should be assessed perpendicular to the eyes to decrease error