Gay-Lussac’s Law

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Gay-Lussac's Law Noun

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[gay-loo-saks law]

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Gay-Lussac's Law

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A principle stating the pressure of a fixed gas amount varies directly with the Kelvin temperature when volume is constant.

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Example: Heating a gas in a fixed-volume container, like an aerosol can, increases its temperature and pressure until the container may rupture or explode.

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Pressure Noun

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[presh-er]

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Pressure

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The continuous physical force exerted by a gas per unit area on the walls of its container.

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Example: Heating a gas in a sealed container makes its particles move faster, causing more collisions with the container walls, which increases the pressure.

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Temperature Noun

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[tem-per-uh-cher]

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Temperature

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A measure of the average kinetic energy of the particles in a substance, which must be expressed in Kelvin for gas laws.

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Example: This diagram compares the Celsius and Fahrenheit temperature scales using the freezing and boiling points of water as common reference points.

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Volume Noun

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[vol-yoom]

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Volume

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The amount of three-dimensional space occupied by a substance, which is held constant in Gay-Lussac's Law.

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Example: This image shows how to calculate the volume of a cube, which is the space it occupies, by multiplying its side length by itself three times (V=s³).

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Kelvin Noun

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[kel-vin]

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Kelvin

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The SI base unit of thermodynamic temperature, which is required for all gas law calculations.

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Example: This diagram compares temperature scales, showing that the Kelvin (K) scale starts at absolute zero (0 K), the coldest possible temperature, unlike Celsius or Fahrenheit.

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Kinetic Energy Noun

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[ki-net-ik en-er-jee]

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Kinetic Energy

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The energy that a particle possesses due to its motion, which increases as a gas is heated.

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Example: This image shows the conversion of stored potential energy in a drawn bow into the kinetic energy of a moving arrow after it is released.

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Constant Noun

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[kon-stuhnt]

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Constant

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A value or condition, such as volume or amount of gas, that does not change during an experiment.

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Example: This image does not explain the concept. A constant in Gay-Lussac's Law is a property, like volume, that is kept the same while pressure and temperature change.

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Celsius Noun

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[sel-see-uhs]

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Celsius

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A common unit of temperature that must be converted to Kelvin for use in gas law formulas.

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Example: This diagram shows the Celsius scale next to Fahrenheit and Kelvin, highlighting key temperatures like water's freezing (0°C) and boiling (100°C) points.

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atm (atmosphere) Noun

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[at-muh-sfeer]

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atm (atmosphere)

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A standard unit of pressure, equivalent to the average atmospheric pressure at sea level, often used in gas law problems.

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Example: This diagram of a barometer shows how the weight of the atmosphere (air pressure) supports a column of mercury, defining the standard unit of atmospheric pressure (atm).

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mmHg Noun

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[mil-i-mee-ters of mur-kyoo-ree]

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mmHg

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A manometric unit of pressure, also known as millimeters of mercury, based on the height of a supported mercury column.

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Example: This diagram shows a mercury barometer, where atmospheric pressure supports a column of mercury 760 millimeters (mm) high, defining the pressure unit mmHg.