SOLUTION: Boyle's Law states that when a sample of gas is compressed at a constant temperature, the pressure of the gas is inversely proportional to the volume of the gas. (1) suppose the pr

Algebra ->  Graphs -> SOLUTION: Boyle's Law states that when a sample of gas is compressed at a constant temperature, the pressure of the gas is inversely proportional to the volume of the gas. (1) suppose the pr      Log On


   



Question 1087134: Boyle's Law states that when a sample of gas is compressed at a constant temperature, the pressure of the gas is inversely proportional to the volume of the gas. (1) suppose the pressure of a sample of air that occupies 0.106 cubic meter at 25 degrees Celsius is 70kPa. Find the constant of proportionality.
(2) if the sample expands to a volume 0.4 cubic meter, find the new pressure

Answer by Theo(13342) About Me  (Show Source):
You can put this solution on YOUR website!
the pressure of the gas is inversely proportional to the volume of the gas.

the general form of the equation of indirect variation is y = k/x

in your equation, y = p and x = v

p is the pressure of the gas.
v is the volume of a sample of air.

the formula becomes p = k/v

when the volume of the gas is .106 cubic meters, the pressure is 70 kilo pascals.

the formula becomes 70 = k/.106

solve for k to get k = 70 * .16 = 7.42

now that you have solved for k, which is the constant of variation, you can solve the rest of the problem.
since k = 7.42, the equation becomes p = 7.42 / v

when v = .4 cubic meters, the equation becomes p = 7.42 / .4

solve for p to get p = 18.55 kilo pascals.

that should be your solution.