High School Physics : Understanding Effects of Heat on Volume
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Example Questions
Example Question #1 : Understanding Effects Of Heat On Volume
An ideal gas is inside of a container with a pressure of 
We will need to use Boyle's Law to solve:
Boyle's Law allows us to set up a relationship between the changes in pressure and volume under conditions with constant temperature. Since the equation is a proportion, we do not need to convert any units.
We can use the given values to solve for the new pressure.
Example Question #1 : Understanding Effects Of Heat On Volume
An ideal gas is inside of a tube at 
For this problem, use Charles's Law:
In this formula, 
Using the given values, we should be able to solve for the final temperature.
Cross multiply.
Example Question #21 : Heat
An ideal gas is compressed from 
For this problem, use Boyle's Law:
Boyle's Law allows us to set up a proportion between the pressure and volume at a constant temperature.
Using the values given, we can solve for the final pressure.
Example Question #21 : Heat
A balloon in a hot room is submerged in a bucket of cold water. What will happen to this balloon?
It will shrink
It will lose air
It will not change
It will pop
It will expand
It will shrink
The volume of air in the balloon will increase when exposed to hotter temperatures, and decrease when exposed to colder temperatures. If we look at the ideal gas law, we can see that temperature and volume have a direct relationship. As one goes down, so does the other, assuming all other factors remain constant.
We can also look at Charles's law of volumes:
The balloon is sealed, so the amount of gas in the balloon will not change, and the elasticity of the balloon means that pressure will also remain constant. As temperature decreases, volume must also decrease. Suppose that the temperature is halved in our question. The result would be half the volume, according to Charles's law.
By this logic, we can conclude that the balloon will shrink when placed in the cold water.
Example Question #1 : Understanding Effects Of Heat On Volume
Why does adding heat cause a gas to expand?
Adding heat increases the velocity of the molecules
Adding heat adds more molecules of gas to the system
Adding heat reduces the friction in the molecules when they are moving
Adding heat causes the molecules to bond together, increasing their volume
Adding heat will not cause a gas to expand
Adding heat increases the velocity of the molecules
Heat is a form of energy. Adding heat to a gaseous system will increase the energy of the molecules, causing them to move faster and collide more frequently. This increased velocity results in the expansion of the gas.
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