A student seals the end of a plastic syringe that contains air.
The student pushes the plunger in slowly, so that the temperature of the air stays the same.
State what happens to the pressure of the air in the syringe.
The student then fills a second syringe with water and seals the end.
The student finds that the plunger of this syringe can hardly be pushed in.
Explain why the air can be compressed but the water cannot easily be compressed.
Explain, in terms of particles, why the pressure of the air changes when the plunger is pushed in.
108 exam-style questions on Edexcel GCSE Physics 14.3 Gas pressure and temperature, covering 14.3.1 Gas pressure and particle motion, 14.3.2 Temperature and pressure at constant volume, 14.3.3 Absolute zero and the kelvin scale, 14.3.4 Compressing and expanding gases, 14.3.5 Volume and pressure at constant temperature, and 14.3.6 Doing work on a gas. Each one has a worked solution and a mark scheme showing where the marks go.