Ideal Gas Law

Read the information below and complete the table, graph and questions in your packet.

The figure to the right shows a clear plastic container with a movable piston that contains a fixed amount of gas. A group of students is asked to determine whether the gas is ideal. The students design and conduct an experiment. They measure the three quantities recorded in the data table in your packet.

a) In your packet, describe an experimental procedure the group of students could have used to obtain these data. Include all the equipment needed and a labeled diagram of the setup. Clearly indicate what measurements would be taken and how each of the manipulated variables would be varied. Include enough detail so that someone else could carry out the procedure.

b) Select a set of data points from the table and plot those points on the axes in your packet to create a graph to determine whether the gas exhibits properties of an ideal gas. Fill in blank columns in the table for any quantities you graph other than the given data. Label the axes and indicate the scale for each. Draw a best-fit line or curve through your data points.

c) In your packet, indicate whether the gas exhibits properties of an ideal gas and explain what characteristic of your graph provides the evidence.

d) The students repeat their experiment with an identical container that contains half as much gas. They take data for the same values of volume and temperature as in the table. Would the new data result in a different conclusion about whether the gas is ideal? In your packet, justify your answer in terms of interactions between the molecules of the gas and the container walls.