Demonstrating Boyle’s Law Using the PASCO Ideal Gas Equipment

Boyle’s Law shows one of the simplest and most elegant relationships in physics: when the temperature and mass of a gas remain constant, its pressure and volume are inversely proportional. Using PASCO’s ideal gas apparatus, students can see this relationship unfold through real-time measurements and perfectly smooth data.

---

The Experiment

The setup includes a PASCO Ideal Gas Apparatus with a pressure sensor and a movable piston connected to a syringe or sealed cylinder.

Students:

1. Trap a fixed amount of air in the cylinder.

2. Adjust the volume in measured steps using the piston.

3. Record the pressure at each point using the PASCO software.

4. Plot Pressure (P) against 1/Volume (1/V).

The resulting straight-line graph demonstrates that:

$$P \propto \frac{1}{V}$$

or

$$P \times V = \text{constant}$$

---

The Science

Boyle’s Law arises because gas molecules move randomly, colliding with container walls.
When volume decreases, molecules have less space, so collisions with the walls become more frequent — increasing pressure.

This fundamental law underpins much of physics, chemistry, and engineering — from scuba diving and weather balloons to piston engines and respiratory systems.

---

Skills Highlight

• Using PASCO sensors to collect accurate, real-time pressure and volume data

• Plotting and analysing inverse proportional relationships

• Understanding molecular motion and the gas laws

• Linking microscopic particle theory with macroscopic measurements

---

Why It Works in Teaching

PASCO equipment allows students to see a textbook law turn into live data. The smooth curve that straightens when plotted as $P$ against $1/V$ makes the proportionality unmistakable. It’s a visual, quantitative confirmation of kinetic theory in action.