Question

I've got a car with an internal volume of `12000` `L`. If I drive my car into the river and it implodes, what will be the volume of the gas when the pressure goes from `1.0` `atm` to `1.4` `atm`?

Answer 1

We use Boyle's Law: `P_1V_1 = P_2V_2`

Rearanging: `V_2 = (P_1V_1)/P_2 =(1.0xx12000)/1.4 = 8571` `L`

Explanation:

The answer is all above, but let me share a tip. It's possible to memorise Boyle's, Charles' and Gay-Lussac's laws and use them appropriately.

But I find it simpler to just memorise the Combined Gas Law, and then leave out anything that does not change in a particular question:

`(P_1V_1)/T_1 = (P_2V_2)/T_2`

In this case, since temperature isn't mentioned, we simply leave it out and get Boyle's law.