Can anyone explain the ideal gas law to me in plain english?

Question

I have a project on this law. I basically have to teach it to the rest of the class. I've done research on this law, but I have absolutely no idea what they mean.

Answer 1

The ideal gas law, PV = nRT, explains what must happen to an ideal gas when its pressure, volume, or temperature change. When you introduce change on one side of the equation, the other side will have to adjust in order to keep the = sign.
P = pressure
V = volume
n = moles
R = a constant
T = temperature

So, lets say that you have a balloon full of an ideal gas. The amount of gas molecules is fixed, so n * R is constant. The gas exerts a pressure on the inside of the ballon, how big the balloon has expanded to is the volume of the gas, and the gas inside also has a temperature.

Let's say that we (somehow) increase the temperature of the gas. Since the equation is PV = nRT, then increasing T means that the right side of the equation increases. Then, according to the ideal gas law, the product of the pressure and the volume must also increase, in order to maintain the equal sign. Example: you heat up the balloon, then the balloon expands in order to increase the volume of the gas, (if pressure stays constant). Conversely, if the balloon is squeezed then its volume decreases. Either the pressure or temperature must also go up in order to maintain the equality of the equation.

Answer 2

It's been a long time since I had chemistry. From what I recall, the ideal gas law is

PV = nRT
P = pressure which is measured in atmospheres (atm) and is
related to how much force the gas is exerting on its container
V = volume which is measured in cm^3 (I think) and is how much actual area the gas takes up
n = the number of moles of the gas in question
R = a constant value
T = temperature in Kelvin

A gas will always expand to fill its container (taking up the V term). As it does, it will exert pressure on the container (the P term) that is directly proportional to its energy (temperature) and inversely proportional to its volume (the V term again).

So, say you have 10 moles amount of gas at a temperature 273K. If you try to put this gas into a small container (say with a V of 100cm^3) several things will happen. First, the P term will increase as more gas is pushed into the container. This is necessary becasue PV = nearly 0 (pressure in open air is neglible) and the nRT term = n*R*273 (where n in this case is the amount of gas actually in the container).

If P increases too much, then the container could explode which will greatly increase V and reduce P. Eventually P will be unable to increase and you will see T start to decrease as more gas is put into the container. PV is now constant, n is increasing so T must decrease.

Once the container is filled and sealed, you can do some experiments. If you were to say, suddenly shrink the container then you will see that the T decreases greatly. PV is smaller, nR are constant so T must decrease. If you were able to maintain the pressure and increase the container a lot, then you'd see T increase a lot as well by the same mechanic.

Hope that helps

Answer 3

Ideal Gas Law Definition

Answer 4

Ideal Gas Definition

Answer 5

No, I can't. I can however research the definition of it. Sometimes when having difficulty understanding look up the definitions of the word or words.
EXAMPLE:
(in the search bar I put this in and got responses)
.........define ideal gas law..........
Try that way and see what you get.

Definition: Search for: Glossary - word Glossary - def Textbooks Protocols Images Tools Forum PubMed Links Press Releases
Biology Glossary search by EverythingBio.com
AKA: universal gas law
PV=nRT where P=pressure; V=volume; n=number of moles of gas; R=gas constant, 0.0821 L atm/mol K; and T=temperature in Kelvins.
I have no clue what it means.
Good Luck!
See you already have had good luck you have 2 intelligent answers.

Answer 6

For the best answers, search on this site https://shorturl.im/avvXh

be clear in your question. it is not clear what you are asking !!!! any how, I try to answer your question like this. 1) if you are asking about an ideal gas - the gas whose particles are of point size occupying no volume, whose particles inter molecular force are zero and which obeys gas laws under all conditions will be called an ideal gas 2) if you are talking of ideal gas equation, it is PV = n R T, where P is pressure, V is volume, T is temperature and n is the number of moles of the gas, while R is universal gas constant 3) finally if you are talking of gas laws obeyed by an ideal gas it obeys Boyle's law and Charles' laws. ( there will be statements for these laws)

Answer 7

PV = NRT

P is pressure, V is volume, N is moles of compound, R is constant 0.821, and T is the temperature.
under certain conditions you will be able to change the formula a little and find the Variable that you want to find.

Ideal gas law just a law to calculate Pressure, or Volume, or moles of compound or Temperature.