Boyle's Law Calculator
Boyle's Law Calculator
Solve for pressure or volume of a gas at constant temperature using P₁V₁ = P₂V₂.
Initial State
Final State
Ensure units for pressure (e.g., atm, Pa) and volume (e.g., L, m³) are consistent on both sides.
Boyle's Law Formula: P₁V₁ = P₂V₂
The Pressure-Volume Relationship: A Guide to Boyle's Law
Boyle's Law is one of the fundamental gas laws in chemistry and physics. Formulated by the chemist and physicist Robert Boyle in 1662, the law describes the relationship between the pressure and volume of a gas. It states that for a fixed amount of a gas kept at a constant temperature, the pressure and volume are inversely proportional. This means that as you increase the pressure on a gas, its volume decreases proportionally. Conversely, if you decrease the pressure, its volume will increase. This simple but powerful principle is a cornerstone of our understanding of gas behavior.
A common real-world example is a syringe. If you seal the end of a syringe and push the plunger in, you are increasing the pressure on the gas inside, and you can see its volume decrease. If you pull the plunger out, you decrease the pressure, and the volume of the gas expands. Boyle's Law is essential for applications involving compressed gases, from scuba diving, where it governs how air consumption changes with depth, to the mechanics of our own breathing, where the diaphragm changes the volume and pressure within our lungs. This calculator allows you to easily solve for any of the variables in the Boyle's Law equation, making it a valuable tool for students and professionals working with gas properties.
The Boyle's Law Formula
The inverse relationship between pressure (P) and volume (V) can be expressed mathematically. Since their product is a constant (k), we can write:
P × V = k
This leads to the more commonly used form of the law, which compares the initial and final states of a gas:
P₁V₁ = P₂V₂
Where:
- P₁ is the initial pressure of the gas.
- V₁ is the initial volume of the gas.
- P₂ is the final pressure of the gas.
- V₂ is the final volume of the gas.
This calculator can solve for any of these four variables, provided the other three are known. It's crucial to ensure that the units used for pressure (e.g., atm, kPa, psi) and volume (e.g., L, m³) are consistent for both the initial and final states.
Boyle's Law and the Ideal Gas Law
Boyle's Law is a specific case of the more general Ideal Gas Law, PV = nRT. Boyle's Law applies when the amount of gas (n) and the temperature (T) are held constant. In this case, the entire right side of the Ideal Gas Law (nRT) becomes a constant, leading directly back to Boyle's observation that PV = constant.