Question

Describe what you would do to the volume of a container of gas if you wanted to exactly double the pressure inside

Answer 1

Answer : Final volume must be half of initial Volume. i.e., Volume of the container will be halved.

According to Boyle's law, Pressure and Volume are inversily proportional to each other for a given amount of ideal gas at constant temperature.

Mathematically, it can be written as

P α 1/ V ==> PV = constant

or P1*V1 = P2*V2 = constant

Let

initial Pressure = P1

initial volume = V1

so, final pressure = P2 = 2 P1

Then, final volume = V2 =?

Assumptions :

1) Temperature is constat

2) amount of the gas is constant.

P1 * V! = P2 * V2

==> V2 = P1V1 / P2

==> V2 = V1 /2

Therefore, final volume must be half of initial Volume. i.e., Volume of the container will be halved.

Note: If we don't made the above assumptions we have to use Ideal gas law

PV = nRT

or

P1V1/ n1T1 = P1V2/n2T2 = constant ;

where, P = pressure,(atm) T = absolute temperature (K), n= no.of moles of gas(mole), V = Volume of the gas( L) and R = Ideal gas constant.