For an ideal gas, if the volume is halved while keeping the temperature constant, what happens to the pressure?
Correct Answer: Pressure doubles
- Step 1: Understand that we are dealing with an ideal gas.
- Step 2: Remember Boyle's law, which states that pressure and volume are inversely related when temperature is constant.
- Step 3: Know that 'inversely related' means that if one goes up, the other goes down.
- Step 4: If the volume is halved, it means the new volume is half of the original volume.
- Step 5: Since the volume is halved, the pressure must increase to maintain the relationship defined by Boyle's law.
- Step 6: Specifically, if the volume is reduced to half, the pressure will double.
- Boyle's Law – For a given mass of gas at constant temperature, the pressure is inversely proportional to the volume.
