What does Boyle's Law describe?

Prepare for the PE Environmental Exam. Study with flashcards and multiple choice questions, each with hints and explanations. Ace your exam with confidence!

Boyle's Law describes the relationship between the volume of a gas and its pressure at constant temperature. Specifically, it states that for a given mass of an ideal gas at a constant temperature, the volume of the gas is inversely proportional to its pressure. This means that, as the pressure on a gas increases, the volume decreases, and vice versa, as long as the temperature remains unchanged.

This law is fundamental in understanding gas behavior and plays a crucial role in various applications, such as in the fields of engineering, physics, and chemistry where gaseous systems are involved. For instance, this principle is applied in scenarios like human respiration and the functioning of syringes. The equation that represents Boyle’s Law is PV = k, where P is pressure, V is volume, and k is a constant for a given amount of gas at a fixed temperature.

On the other hand, the other options describe different relationships that do not align with Boyle's Law. The relationship between pressure and temperature is characterized by Gay-Lussac’s Law, while the relationship between mass and volume relates to density, typically described by the equation density = mass/volume. The relationship between temperature and volume is defined by Charles's Law, which states that the volume of

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