Pressure & Volume Flashcards

All 6 cards in this deck

What happens to the rate of collisions with the walls and to the pressure when a fixed mass of gas is squeezed into a smaller volume at constant temperature?

Particles hit the walls more often, so the pressure increases.

What happens to the pressure of a fixed mass of gas at constant temperature when its volume is increased?

The pressure decreases — the particles are more spread out, so they collide with the walls less often.

Why can a gas be compressed?

Its particles are far apart with large spaces between them, so increasing the pressure pushes them closer together.

What happens to a fixed mass of gas if the pressure on it is reduced at constant temperature?

It expands — its volume increases.

True or false? When a gas is compressed at constant temperature, its particles move faster.

False. Particle speed depends on temperature; they simply hit the walls more often in the smaller space.

True or false? Pulling out the piston of a sealed syringe increases the mass of gas inside it.

False. The mass stays the same; the volume increases and the pressure decreases.