CHEMISTRY LAB
SCIENCE OLYMPIAD 2016-2017
NAME ___________________________
CHARLES’ LAW
OVERVIEW
- Charles’ Law states there is a direct relationship between temperature (T) and volume (V), while
the other variables are held constant.
- This means if one goes up, the other will also go up.
FORMULA
𝑉
𝑉
- The mathematical formula for Charles’ Law is: 𝑇1 = 𝑇2
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This relationship (Charles’ Law) tells us that if something happens to a gas’ temperature or
volume, the volume of a gas before divided by its temperature before must equal the volume
after divided by the temperature after.
The units for volume must remain the same and the units for temperature must be in Kelvin.
EXAMPLES
- This explains why warm air rises.
- As the gases temperature increases,
its volume expands, which in turn
lowers the density of the gas.
(Remember density is mass per unit
volume, so this assumes the mass of
the gas in the air remains constant).
- The less dense gas rises.
- See figure 5.2. This graph shows the
direct relationship between
temperature and volume for a gas
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See example 5.3 to see how
Charles’ Law is used in solving
equations.
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