Mon. Week 2, March 3: The Ideal Gas Law

On this day, the class performed labs revolving around the ideal gas law. The first lab had us taking measurements that were later used to generate a graph that displays the linear relationship between temperature and volume.

The air inside the flask was heated while the attached syringe measured the increase in the air's volume.

After enough data points were taken, the information was used to generate a graph. However, the graph was not linear as was expected, possibly due to a bad measurement.

We got an estimated value for the coefficient of the equation V=kT by fitting a linear line to the generated graph. We determined that in order for the coefficient to make sense, the dimensions of the coefficient k must be m^3/K.

The next part of class consisted of attempting to take Boyle's law and Charles's law and relate them together in order to come up with a unified equation for the relationships between pressure, volume and temperature.

After unifying the gas equation, we performed an exercises in class that revolved around the real-world applications of the ideal gas law.

Lastly, the class was treated to a demonstration of the effects of the gas law on objects such as a balloon and marshmallow. The objects were placed in a vacuum chamber where air was sucked out, causing the gasses inside each object to undergo an increase in volume through expansion.