Introduction

In this simple experiment, you will use a Gas Pressure Sensor and a gas syringe to study the relationship between gas pressure and volume. Temperature and amount of gas will be kept constant. The results will be expressed in words, in a table, with a graph, and with a mathematical equation. These are four methods commonly used by scientists to communicate information.

This experiment is similar to one first done by Robert Boyle in 1662—without the use of a computer, of course. The relationship you will discover is known as Boyle’s law.

Objectives

In this experiment, you will

  • Use a Gas Pressure Sensor and a gas syringe to measure the pressure of an air sample at several different volumes.
  • Make a table of the results.
  • Graph the results.
  • Predict the pressure at other volumes.
  • Describe the relationship between gas pressure and volume with words and with a mathematical equation.