CH1020

Worksheet 1

CH1020 Exercises (Worksheet 1)

(pressure measurements)
1. How would a gas differ from a liquid with respect to each of the following
properties:
a. density
b. compressibility
c. ability to mix with other substances of the same phase to form homogeneous
mixtures?
2. A. Both a liquid and a gas are moved to larger containers. How does their
behavior differ? Explain the difference on molecular terms. B. Although water
and carbon tetrachloride, CCl4(l), do not mix, their vapors form homogeneous
mixtures. Explain. C. The densities of gases are generally reported in units of
g/L, whereas those for liquids are reported as g/mL. Explain the molecular basis
for this difference.

3. Consider two people of the same mass standing in a room. One person is standing
normally, and the other is standing on one foot. A. Does one person exert a
greater force on the floor than the other? B. Does one person exert a greater
pressure on the floor than the other?
4. Rationalize the following observations:
a. Aerosol cans will explode if heated
b. You can drink through a soda straw
c. A thin-walled can will collapse when the air inside is removed by a vacuum
pump
d. Manufacturers produce different types of tennis balls for high and low
elevations.
5. A guage on a compressed gas cylinder reads 2200 psi (pounds per square inch; 1
atm = 14.7 psi). Express this pressure in each of the following units?
a. atmospheres
b. megapascals (Mpa)
c. torr
6. The pressure needed to make synthetic diamonds from graphite is 8.0 x 104 atm.
Express this pressure in
a. kPa
b. torr
c. psi
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CH1020

Worksheet 1

7. Explain why the height of mercury is independent of the diameter of the mercury
column.
8. How high in meters must a column of water be to exert a pressure equal to that of
a 760 mm column of mercury?
9. Mineral oil can be used in place of mercury in manometers when small pressure
changes are to be measured. What is the pressure of an oxygen sample in mm of
mineral oil if its pressure is 28.5 mm Hg? (density of mineral oil = 0.88 g/mL;
density of Hg = 13.5 g/mL)
10. If the atmospheric pressure is 0.975 atm, what is the pressure of the enclosed gas
in each of the following cases:

h = 52 cm

h = 67 mm

h = 10.3 cm

11. What is the pressure (in kPa) of the gas in the flask below, if the barometer reads
765.2 mm Hg?

h = 1.30 cm
12. What is the pressure (in atm) of the gas in the flask, if the barometer reads 738.5
torr?

h = 2.35 cm
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