Under Pressure - The Inverse Relationship between Pressure and Volume
Recommended for grades 9–12.
Introduction
Let’s take a sample of air in a closed container, and keep it at room temperature. If you change the volume of the container, what will happen to the air pressure inside? You can feel this by squeezing a small balloon in your hand. As the balloon gets smaller, you have to push harder. That is, as the volume decreases, the pressure increases. Two quantities that change in this way could be inversely related. If pressure and volume are inversely related, even if both quantities change, then their product stays the same.
Suppose that x and y represent the quantities that are inversely related. Then
where k is a constant in both equations. Maybe you can think of some other quantities that also behave this way. For air and other gases, this relation has a name: Boyle’s law.
In this activity, you will use a pressure sensor to investigate the relationship between pressure and volume for air contained within a closed syringe.
Objectives
- Record pressure versus volume data for a sample of air.
- Fit an inverse function model to the data.
- Re-plot the data using linearization.
Sensors and Equipment
This activity requires each of the following Vernier sensors and equipment (unless otherwise noted):
Additional Requirements
You may also need an interface and software for data collection. What do I need for data collection?
Download Experiment Preview
The student-version preview includes:
- Step-by-step instructions for computer-based data collection
- List of materials and equipment
Note: The experiment preview of the computer edition does not include essential teacher information, safety tips, or sample data. Instructions for Logger Pro and other software (such as LabQuest App or TI handheld software, where available) are on the CD that accompanies the book. We strongly recommend that you purchase the book before performing experiments.
Standards Correlations
See all standards correlations for Real-World Math with Vernier »
Included in the Lab Book
Vernier lab books include a CD with word-processing files of the student instructions, essential teacher information, suggested answers, sample data and graphs, and more.