
Charles's Law, also known as the Law of Volumes, describes the relationship between the volume of a gas and its temperature when the pressure and mass of the gas remain constant. It states that the volume of a gas is directly proportional to its temperature. This law can be used to calculate the final volume or temperature of a gas when the other three variables are known. The equation for Charles's Law is: V₂ = V₁ / T₁ x T₂. The Kelvin scale must be used for temperatures in the equation, as zero on this scale corresponds to a complete stoppage of molecular motion.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Volume of a gas | Directly proportional to the temperature (T) when pressure is kept constant |
| Volume of a fixed mass of a dry gas | Directly proportional to its absolute temperature |
| Volume of an ideal gas in an isobaric process | Can be calculated using the Charles' Law equation |
| Volume of a ball pumped full of air | Decreases when moved from a warmer to a cooler place |
| Volume of a balloon | Increases when taken from room temperature to a hot summer day |
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What You'll Learn

The volume of a gas at a given temperature
Charles's Law, also known as the Law of Volumes, describes the relationship between the volume of a gas and its temperature when the pressure and mass of the gas remain constant. It states that the volume of a given mass of gas varies directly with the absolute temperature of the gas when pressure is kept constant. In other words, the volume of a gas is directly proportional to its temperature when the pressure is held constant.
This law can be applied to calculate the volume of a gas at a given temperature. To do this, we must use the Charles's Law equation, which is expressed as:
V₂ = V₁ / T₁ x T₂
Where:
- V₁ is the initial volume of the gas
- T₁ is the initial temperature in Kelvin
- T₂ is the final temperature in Kelvin
- V₂ is the final volume of the gas
It's important to note that the temperatures must be converted to the Kelvin scale before applying the equation. For example, let's say we have a gas with an initial volume (V₁) of 2 liters at a temperature (T₁) of 35°C, and we want to find its volume (V₂) at a new temperature (T₂) of 15°C. First, we convert the Celsius temperatures to Kelvin: 35°C = 308.15 K, and 15°C = 288.15 K. Then, we can plug these values into the equation:
V₂ = 2 L / 308.15 K x 288.15 K
V₂ = 1.8702 L
So, the volume of the gas at 15°C is approximately 1.8702 liters. This example demonstrates how Charles's Law can be used to calculate the volume of a gas at a given temperature, providing valuable insights into the behaviour of gases under different conditions.
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The temperature of a gas at a given volume
Charles's Law, also known as the Law of Volumes, describes the relationship between the volume of a gas and its temperature when the pressure and mass of the gas remain constant. It was formulated by the French physicist Jacques Charles in the 1780s.
The law states that at a given volume, the absolute temperature of a gas varies directly with its volume when pressure is kept constant. This means that as the temperature of a gas increases, so does its volume, and vice versa. This relationship can be expressed mathematically as a direct proportion:
> V/T = constant = k
Where V is the volume of the gas and T is its temperature. The Kelvin scale is used for temperature in this equation because zero on the Kelvin scale corresponds to a complete stoppage of molecular motion.
For example, let's consider a gas with an initial volume (V1) of 2 litres at a temperature (T1) of 35°C. If we change the temperature to 15°C (T2), we can calculate the final volume (V2) using the equation:
> V₂ = V₁ / T₁ × T₂
Converting the temperatures to Kelvin, we get:
> V₂ = 2 l / (35 °C + 273.15 K) × (15 °C + 273.15 K) = 1.8702 l
So, the volume of the gas decreases when the temperature is lowered, which is what we would expect according to Charles's Law.
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The volume of a gas at a different temperature
Charles's Law, also known as the law of volumes, describes the relationship between the volume of a gas and its temperature when the pressure and mass of the gas remain constant. It is an experimental gas law formulated by Jacques Charles in the 1780s.
According to the law, the volume of a gas is directly proportional to its temperature in Kelvin when the pressure is kept constant. This relationship can be expressed mathematically as:
> V/T = constant = k
Where V is the volume of the gas and T is its temperature. The constant k is used because V and T vary directly.
To use Charles's Law to calculate the volume of a gas at a different temperature, we must first ensure that the temperatures are in Kelvin. This is because the Kelvin scale corresponds to a complete stoppage of molecular motion at absolute zero (0 K).
For example, let's say we have a balloon filled with room-temperature air at a volume of 2.20 L and a temperature of 22°C. We can use Charles's Law to calculate the new volume of the balloon when it is heated to 71°C.
First, we convert the temperatures to Kelvin:
> T₁ = 22°C = 295 K
> T₂ = 71°C = 344 K
Now, we can apply Charles's Law to find the final volume (V₂):
> V₂ = V₁ / T₁ x T₂
> V₂ = 2.20 L / 295 K x 344 K
> V₂ = 2.64 L
So, the volume of the balloon increases to 2.64 L when heated to 71°C.
This example demonstrates how Charles's Law can be used to calculate the volume of a gas at a different temperature, providing valuable insights into the behaviour of gases and their response to temperature changes.
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The temperature of a gas at a different volume
Charles's Law, also known as the Law of Volumes, is an experimental gas law that describes the behaviour of an ideal gas during an isobaric process, i.e., when the pressure remains constant. It states that the volume of a gas is directly proportional to its temperature when pressure is kept constant.
Mathematically, this relationship can be written as:
> V/T = constant = k
Where V is the volume of the gas and T is its temperature.
This equation can be used to calculate the final volume of a gas when its temperature changes, or the resulting temperature when the volume of a gas is altered. For example, let's say we have a ball pumped full of air with an initial volume of 2 litres at a temperature of 35°C (308.15 Kelvin). If we move the ball to a cooler location, say a room at 15°C (288.15 Kelvin), we can calculate its final volume using Charles's Law:
> V₂ = V₁ / T₁ × T₂ = 2 l / 308.15 K × 288.15 K = 1.8702 l
So, when the ball is moved from a warmer to a cooler place, its volume decreases.
Another example could be estimating the temperature of a heating source using Charles's Law. If we have a closed system filled with nitrogen, an ideal gas, with an initial volume of 0.03 ft³ at room temperature (295 Kelvin), and after a few minutes, its volume increases to 0.062 ft³, we can calculate the temperature of the heating source:
> T₂ = T₁ / V₁ × V₂ = 295 K / 0.03 ft³ × 0.062 ft³ = 609.7 K
This temperature can be expressed in more common units as 336.5°C or 637.7°F.
Charles's Law has various applications and can be used to explain everyday phenomena, such as the shrinking of balls and helium balloons in cold weather, the swelling of inner tubes in bright sunlight, and the decreased lung capacity in humans during colder weather, making it more challenging to jog or perform athletic activities.
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The volume of a gas at a given pressure
Charles's Law, also known as the Law of Volumes, describes the relationship between the volume of a gas and its temperature when the pressure and mass of the gas remain constant. It is an experimental gas law formulated by Jacques Charles in the 1780s.
The law states that the volume of a given mass of gas varies directly with the absolute temperature of the gas when pressure is kept constant. This means that as the temperature of a gas increases, its volume will also increase proportionally, and conversely, a decrease in temperature will lead to a decrease in volume.
Mathematically, this relationship can be expressed as:
> V/T = constant = k
Where V is the volume of the gas, T is the temperature, and k is a constant value.
For example, let's consider a gas with an initial volume (V1) of 2 litres at a temperature (T1) of 35°C. If we change the temperature to 15°C (T2), we can calculate the final volume (V2) using the formula:
> V₂ = V₁ / T₁ × T₂
Converting the temperatures to Kelvin, we get:
> V₂ = 2 L / (35°C + 273.15 K) × (15°C + 273.15 K) = 1.8702 L
So, when the gas is cooled from 35°C to 15°C, its volume decreases to approximately 1.8702 litres.
Charles's Law has various practical applications. For instance, it explains why balls and helium balloons shrink in cold weather and why human lung capacity decreases in colder temperatures, making it more challenging to perform physical activities.
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Frequently asked questions
Charles's Law is an experimental gas law that describes how the volume of a gas is directly proportional to its temperature when the pressure is kept constant.
Charles's Law can be used to calculate the final volume or temperature of a gas when the other three variables (initial volume, initial temperature, final volume, and final temperature) are known.
To calculate the final volume of a gas using Charles's Law, you need to know the initial volume (V1) and temperature (T1) as well as the final temperature (T2). The formula for calculating the final volume (V2) is: V2 = V1 / T1 x T2.
To calculate the final temperature of a gas using Charles's Law, you need to know the initial volume (V1) and temperature (T1) as well as the final volume (V2). The formula for calculating the final temperature (T2) is: T2 = T1 / V1 x V2.











































