BOYLE’S LAW

Teacher’ Guide / Chemistry Form 5 / Spreadsheet

SCIENTIFIC CONCEPT
Boyle’s Law is about the relationship between the pressure and volume of an ideal gas
when the number of moles and the temperature are held constant. The SI unit of pressure
is the pascal (Pa) and is defined as 1 N/m2. The relation existing between the pressure
exerted by a confined gas and its volume is given by what is usually known as Boyle’s
law. The temperature remaining constant, the volume V occupied by a given mass of gas
is inversely proportional to the pressure P to which it is subjected. In symbols

P ∝ 1/V or P = k × 1/V

When PV = k (1)

where k is (numerically) a constant under given conditions.

UNIQUE FEATURE OF ACTIVITY

This activity is designed to demonstrate one of the fundamental laws of gas behavior,
Boyle’s Law. This law is about the relationship between the pressure and volume of an
ideal gas when the number of moles and the temperature are held constant. The unique
features of using spreadsheets are:

• Students are able to record data and do the calculation easily. First, students have
to prepare the spreadsheet and when they enter the data from the experiment, the
value of 1/V and value of P x V will appear on the column of the table.
• Spreadsheets are very suitable and practical for repetitive calculation. For an
example, if students change the value of volume at any cells, the value of 1/V will
also change. The points of the graph will also change automatically as referred to
the data entered. This allows students to do more important things in chemistry
and no re-calculation or re-graphing needed.
 ENGAGE

THE CONCEPT APPLY IN SYRINGE

A syringe is an everyday device used in a hospital to draw blood samples or give

infections.

• What happened when the plunger of the syringe is being pulled?

• What happened when the plunger of the syringe is being pushed?
• How the liquid is moving in and out of the needle of the syringe?
 EMPOWER

1) Students plan an experiment to determine the relationship between pressure and

volume in order to verify the Boyle’s Law

THE APPARATUS AND MATERIAL

2) Students are given the following apparatus

 0.5 mL or 1.0 mL disposable insulin syringe
 Soft stopper or clay
 450 mL aluminium soda can with top removed
 Support stand
 Medium rings for support stand
 Cardboard square, larger than the rings
 Cardboard support
 Plunger
 Flange
 Needle
  50 mL graduated cylinder
 Balance (unless starting mass of cans is set to 100g)
3) Students are asked to plan an experiment to show that pressure will effect the
volume of gases.
4) Students have to construct a hypothesis before doing the experiment
5) The procedures of conducting the experiment is discussed
6) Using the formula of

PV = k (constant)

Where P (pressure) = balance mass and V (volume) = value of syringe reading,

students are to find the value of ‘k’ using the spreadsheet program.

How to set up the spreadsheet

1. Click on cell D3, enter the formula =1/C3 (this work out the value of 1/V)
Press enter
2. Copy cell D3, click cell D4 to D12 and the paste it
3. Click on cell E3, enter the formula =B3*C3 ( this work out the value of P X V)
Press enter
4) Copy cell E3, click cell E4 to E12 and then paste it

How to draw a graph with the spreadsheet

(A) Graph Pressure Vs Volume

1. Select a XY (scatter) graph
2. Click ‘series’ in chart wizard and then click add in the series box
3. Click category x values, highlight cell C3 to C12 and then click category y values,
highlight cell B3 to B12
4. Click category name and add the graph name, click next
5. Click category value (x) axis, label it as ‘volume’ and click category value (y)
axis, label it as ‘pressure’. Click next
 6. Choose ‘as object in’, click finish.

(B) Graph Pressure Vs 1/Volume

1. Select a XY (scatter) graph
2. Click ‘series’ in chart wizard and then click add in the series box
3. Click category x values, highlight cell D3 to D12 and then click category y
values, highlight cell B3 to B12
4. Click category name and add the graph name, click next
5. Click category value (x) axis, label it as ‘1/volume’ and click category value (y)
axis, label it as ‘pressure’. Click next
6. Choose ‘as object in’, click finish
RESULTS
 QUESTIONS :
1. Based on the graph, deduce the relationship between pressure and volume of
gases on each of the following.

a. The effect of volume when pressure increase?

b. The effect of volume when pressure decrease?

2. Why the temperature in this experiment must be constant?

ANSWERS
ANSWERS : :
1. 1.
a. When the the
a. When pressure increase,
pressure the the
increase, volume of gases
volume can can
of gases decrease.
decrease.
b. When the the
b. When pressure decrease,
pressure the the
decrease, volume of gases
volume can can
of gases increase.
increase.

Temperature
2. 2. in this
Temperature experiment
in this mustmust
experiment be constant because
be constant temperature
because can can
temperature effect the value of
effect
pressure and volume
the value when
of pressure andtemperature
volume whenis vary. When the
temperature is temperature increases, the volume also
vary. When the
can temperature
be increase according
increases, to
theCharles’
volume Law and be
also can make the value
increase is not accurate.
according to Charles’ Law
and make the value is not accurate.
 ENHANCE

ANSWERS:

1. The kid is actually trying to reduce the volume of the gas inside the balloon to
make it small by squeeze it, this means they increase the pressure on the balloon.
When the balloon can not withstand the added pressure, it will burst.

2. This is because as we go deeper in to the sea, the pressure is increase. Therefore,

as the bubbles rise to the surface the pressure decreases and accordingly the volume
increases.

What is this kid is doing?

Explain what will happen the balloon
later?
In the sea water, explain the phenomena
when the size of bubbles is increasing as
its rise to the surface of water.