For a fixed amount of gas at a fixed pressure, what will happen if the temperature is doubled?

Question

For a fixed amount of gas at a fixed pressure, what will happen if the temperature is doubled?

The volume of the gas will be

A. quadrupled.

B. reduced by half.

C. doubled.

D. reduced by four.

Answer 1

Hi Noah!

Since the pressure and the amount of the gas (moles) are constant, we can use Charles' Law to answer this question. It says V_initial/T_initial=V_final/T_final. V and T stand for volume and temperature respectively. Rearrange this formula to solve for V_final by multiplying both sides by T_final to get V_final=(V_initial*T_final)/T_initial. Since the temperature got doubled, that means T_final=2*T_initial. Substitute 2*T_initial for T_final to get V_final=(V_initial*2*T_initial)/T_initial. Cancel the T_initial out of the top and bottom to get V_final=V_initial*2, which tells us that when the temperature of the gas doubles, the volume of the gas must also double.

I hope this helps!