An aerospace engineer investigates the relationship between the pressure and volume of a fixed mass of neon gas sealed inside a high-precision calibration cylinder.
She measures the volume of the gas at specific pressures during compression (as pressure is increased) and during expansion (as pressure is decreased).
Her measurements are recorded in the table below:
| Pressure (ppp) (kPa\text{kPa}kPa) | Volume (compression) (cm3\text{cm}^3cm3) | Volume (expansion) (cm3\text{cm}^3cm3) | Mean volume (VVV) (cm3\text{cm}^3cm3) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 240 | 48 | 51 | 49.5 |
| 200 | 59 | 62 | 60.5 |
| 160 | 73 | [missing] | 75.0 |
| 120 | 99 | 101 | 100.0 |
| 100 | 118 | 121 | 119.5 |
Calculate the missing expansion volume of the gas at a pressure of 160 kPa.
Suggest one physical reason why the engineer takes measurements during both compression and expansion rather than in one direction only.
The engineer claims that this experimental dataset validates Boyle's Law (p×V=constantp \times V = \text{constant}p×V=constant) for the sealed gas sample.
Show calculations for at least three different pressures to evaluate whether the data supports her claim.
51 exam-style questions on Edexcel IGCSE Physics Ideal gas molecules. Each one has a worked solution and a mark scheme showing where the marks go.