Consider a sample of gas in a container on a comfortable spring day in Chicago, IL. The Celsius temperature suddenly doubles, and you transfer the gas to a container with twice the volume of the first container. If the original pressure was 11 atm, what is a good estimate for the new pressure?

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

According to Charles' Law, when the Celsius temperature doubles while keeping the pressure constant, the volume of the gas doubles as well. Therefore, the gas expands to fill the new container with twice the volume.
Using the ideal gas law, PV = nRT, we can write:
P1V1 = n1R(T1+273.15)
P2V2 = n2R(T2+273.15)
Since the pressure and amount of gas (n) stay constant:
P1V1 = P2V2
V2 = 2V1
Substituting the values in the equation, we get:
P1(2V1) = P2(V2)
11 atm * (2V1) = P2(2V1)
P2 = 5.5 atm, which is closest to 5.9 atm (Choice C).

Consider a Sample of Gas in a Container on a Comfortable