
Boyle's Law, also known as Boyle-Mariotte Law, is a gas law that describes the behaviour of an ideal gas. It states that the pressure exerted by a gas is inversely proportional to the volume occupied by it, provided that the temperature and the quantity of gas remain constant. This law can be expressed mathematically as PV = K, where P is the pressure exerted by the gas, V is the volume occupied by it, and K is a constant. While the units of pressure and volume can vary, such as atm, mmHg, torr, and kPa, it is important to ensure that consistent units are used within calculations. This law has significant applications, such as explaining the expansion of gas when a scuba diver ascends from a deep zone towards the water's surface.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Equation | PV = k |
| Units | atm, mmHg, torr, kPa |
| Application | Used to predict the result of introducing a change, in volume and pressure only, to the initial state of a fixed quantity of gas |
| State of Gas | Temperature, mass, and internal energy remain constant |
| Volume and Pressure | Inversely proportional |
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What You'll Learn

Pressure and volume are inversely proportional
Boyle's Law can be mathematically expressed as PV = K, where P is the pressure of the gas, V is the volume of the gas, and K is a constant. This equation demonstrates that as one variable increases, the other decreases, and vice versa. For example, if the volume of a gas is doubled, the pressure is halved, and if the volume is halved, the pressure is doubled.
The law can be applied to various units of pressure, such as atm, mmHg, torr, and kPa. When working with different units, it is important to ensure that the same unit is used for both the initial and final pressures in the equation.
Boyle's Law is an important tool for understanding the behaviour of gases and predicting the outcome of changes in volume and pressure while keeping the temperature constant. It has been further developed and supported by theories such as kinetic theory and real gas theory.
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Temperature must remain constant
While the sources do not explicitly mention mmHg, they do mention that units of pressure such as atm, torr, and kPa can be used in Boyle's Law calculations. Since mmHg is also a unit of pressure, it can be assumed that it can be used in Boyle's Law calculations as well.
Now, let's discuss the role of temperature in Boyle's Law:
Boyle's Law states that for a fixed mass of an ideal gas kept at a constant temperature, the pressure and volume are inversely proportional. This means that if the volume increases, the pressure decreases, and vice versa, as long as the temperature remains constant. The law can be expressed as PV = k, where P is pressure, V is volume, and k is a constant value representing the temperature and amount of gas. The constant value of k indicates that the same amount of energy persists in the system as long as the temperature is held constant.
To apply Boyle's Law, the initial and final temperatures must be the same, which may require heating or cooling the gas. This is because, according to the law, changes in volume and pressure are directly related to each other when the temperature is held constant. For example, if the volume of a fixed quantity of gas is forced to increase while the temperature is kept constant, the pressure must decrease proportionally. Conversely, reducing the volume of the gas will result in an increase in pressure.
Boyle's Law is particularly useful for predicting the outcome of changes in volume and pressure in a fixed quantity of gas while keeping the temperature constant. It is often used to explain the functioning of the breathing system in the human body, where lung volume changes cause variations in air pressure within the lungs, as described by the law.
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Different units can be used for pressure
Yes, you can use mmHg in Boyle's Law calculations. However, you must ensure that the pressure values are expressed in the same unit. For example, if one pressure value is given in mmHg, you would need to convert the other value to mmHg as well before performing any calculations.
Different units for pressure
There are numerous pressure units used in different contexts and applications. The use of different units can be confusing and may even lead to dangerous misunderstandings. Thus, it is important to be able to convert between different pressure units.
The basic unit of pressure is the pascal (Pa), defined as the pressure exerted by a force of one newton perpendicularly upon an area of one square meter. The pascal is a very small unit and is often used with prefixes, such as kilopascals (kPa), which are equal to 1000 pascals. For practical purposes, gas pressures are often measured in kilopascals. The pascal is the standard unit of pressure in the International System of Units (SI).
Other commonly used pressure units include the atmosphere (atm), bar, millimeter of mercury (mmHg), and psi (pounds per square inch). The standard unit of pressure in the US Customary System is psi. The unit "bar" is also commonly used in weather forecasting and engineering, and it is defined as 100,000 pascals.
In vacuum measurement, pressures are typically given in millibars (mbar), although Torr or millimeters of mercury (mmHg) are also used. The inch of mercury (inHg) is commonly used in North America and is often used in aviation and meteorology.
Other pressure units include kilogram-force per square meter (kgf/m²), kilonewton per square meter (kN/m²), and pound per square inch (lbf/in²).
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The law can be expressed mathematically
Boyle's law is a gas law that describes the behaviour of an ideal gas. It states that the pressure exerted by a gas is inversely proportional to the volume occupied by it, provided that the temperature and the quantity of gas remain constant.
Mathematically, Boyle's law can be expressed as PV = k, where P is the pressure exerted by the gas, V is the volume occupied by it, and k is a constant. This equation can be used to predict how changes in volume will affect the pressure exerted by a gas when the temperature and quantity of gas remain the same.
For example, if the pressure of a gas is doubled while keeping the temperature and quantity constant, the volume will be halved. Similarly, if the volume of a gas is increased while keeping the temperature and pressure constant, the law predicts that the new pressure will be lower than the original pressure.
Boyle's law can be applied to various scenarios, such as changes in pressure and volume when a balloon is inflated or squeezed, or when a scuba diver ascends rapidly from a deep zone towards the water surface.
It's important to note that the units of pressure and volume used in the equation can vary, such as atm, mmHg, torr, or kPa. However, it is essential to ensure that the same units are used for both pressure and volume within the same calculation.
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The law can be visualised on a graph
The mathematical expression for Boyle's Law can be given as:
> \(\frac {P_1}{P_2}=\frac{V_2}{V_1}\)
Where P1 and P2 are the initial and final pressures, and V1 and V2 are the initial and final volumes. The units of pressure can be atm, mmHg, torr, or kPa, and the units of volume can be litres or mL.
For example, let's say we have a gas with an initial volume of 200 mL at a pressure of 1 bar and a temperature of 30°C. We can use Boyle's Law to calculate the new volume if the pressure changes to 1.025 bar at the same temperature.
The formula for Boyle's Law can also be written as PV = k, where P is the pressure, V is the volume, and k is a constant. The value of k depends on the amount of gas, the temperature, and the units used for pressure and volume.
Boyle's Law is based on experiments with air, which was considered a fluid of particles at rest between small invisible springs. The law was first discovered by Robert Boyle in 1662 and later formulated into Boyle's Law. It is used in many applications, such as spray paints, syringes, and even biological functions like breathing.
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Frequently asked questions
Yes, you can use mmHg in Boyle's Law. An example of this is a balloon holding 5L of air at an atmospheric pressure of 760 mm Hg.
Boyle's law is a gas law that describes the behaviour of an ideal gas. It states that the pressure exerted by a gas is inversely proportional to the volume occupied by it, as long as the temperature and the quantity of gas are kept constant.
The equation for Boyle's law is PV = k, where P is the pressure exerted by the gas and V is the volume occupied by it.











































