Question

To what pressure would you have to compress 48.0 L of oxygen gas at 99.3 kPa in order to reduce its volume to 16.0 L?

Answer 1

`298 kPa`

Explanation:

The answer can be determined by using Boyle's Law:

Let's identify our known and unknown variables.

`color(red)("Knowns:"`
`P_1`= 99.3 kpa
`V_1`= 48.0 L
`V_2`= 16.0 L

`color(maroon)("Unknowns:"`
`P_2`

Rearrange the equation to solve for the final pressure by dividing both sides by `V_2` to get `P_2` by itself like this:

`P_2=(P_1xxV_1)/V_2`

Plug in your given values to obtain the final pressure:

`P_2=(99.3\kPa xx 48.0\ cancel"L")/(16.0\cancel"L")` = `298kPa`