Name: ______________________________________ Date: ________________________
Student Exploration: Boyle’s Law and Charles’s Law
Vocabulary: absolute zero, Boyle’s law, Charles’s law, Gay-Lussac’s law, Kelvin scale, pressure
Prior Knowledge Question (Do this BEFORE using the Gizmo.)
A small helium tank measures about two feet (60 cm) high. Yet it can fill over 50 balloons! How
can such a small tank contain enough helium to fill so many balloons?
The pressure inside of the tank is very low which allows the balloons to fit 50 a piece
Gizmo Warm-up
The Boyle’s Law and Charles’s Law Gizmo shows a container
of gas. Inside, small purple spheres represent gas molecules.
1. Observe the particles. Are they all moving at the same
speed? Yes there are all moving at the same speed
2. How do the particles interact with the walls and lid of the container? They are
bouncing off the walls inside of the container
These interactions contribute to the pressure on the walls of the container. Pressure is
defined as force per unit area. The SI units of pressure are newtons per square meter
(N/m2), or pascals (Pa).
3. Slowly drag the temperature (T) slider back and forth. (Note: In this Gizmo, the Kelvin scale
is used to measure temperature. On the Kelvin scale, 0 degrees is absolute zero, the
coldest possible temperature. Absolute zero is equal to -273.15 °C or -459.67 °F)
A. How does the change in temperature affect the speed of the molecules? The
temperature either increases the pressure or decreases it which causes them to
move faster or slower.
2018
, B. How does the change in temperature affect the volume of the container? The
higher the temperature the more value an the less temperature there is less volume
2018
Student Exploration: Boyle’s Law and Charles’s Law
Vocabulary: absolute zero, Boyle’s law, Charles’s law, Gay-Lussac’s law, Kelvin scale, pressure
Prior Knowledge Question (Do this BEFORE using the Gizmo.)
A small helium tank measures about two feet (60 cm) high. Yet it can fill over 50 balloons! How
can such a small tank contain enough helium to fill so many balloons?
The pressure inside of the tank is very low which allows the balloons to fit 50 a piece
Gizmo Warm-up
The Boyle’s Law and Charles’s Law Gizmo shows a container
of gas. Inside, small purple spheres represent gas molecules.
1. Observe the particles. Are they all moving at the same
speed? Yes there are all moving at the same speed
2. How do the particles interact with the walls and lid of the container? They are
bouncing off the walls inside of the container
These interactions contribute to the pressure on the walls of the container. Pressure is
defined as force per unit area. The SI units of pressure are newtons per square meter
(N/m2), or pascals (Pa).
3. Slowly drag the temperature (T) slider back and forth. (Note: In this Gizmo, the Kelvin scale
is used to measure temperature. On the Kelvin scale, 0 degrees is absolute zero, the
coldest possible temperature. Absolute zero is equal to -273.15 °C or -459.67 °F)
A. How does the change in temperature affect the speed of the molecules? The
temperature either increases the pressure or decreases it which causes them to
move faster or slower.
2018
, B. How does the change in temperature affect the volume of the container? The
higher the temperature the more value an the less temperature there is less volume
2018
