Name

Lab Report

Class Period
Date

Charles Law Lab

Background
Jacques Alexandre Charles was a French scientist who investigated the
relationship between volume of a gas and temperature of a gas. He observed
that when the burner in a hot air balloon was turned on, the volume in the
balloon expanded. He also observed that when the burner was turned off, the
balloon deflated. He hypothesized that the volume of a gas depends on the
temperature of a gas.
Research Question
Is the relationship between the volume of a gas and the temperature of the
gas directly proportional?
Dependent Variable:
Independent Variable:
Hypothesis (What you think will happen and reasons why you think this)
I believe that increasing the temperature will

Materials
Lamp with incandescent bulbs (small desk lamp)
1-liter soda bottle
Thermometer
Balloon
Procedures
1. Plug in the lamp
2. Put the thermometer in the bottle
3. Place the balloon over the neck of the bottle.
4. Record the starting temperature
5. Put the bottle as close to the light as possible, keep the lamp
focused on the bottom of the bottle.
6. Heat the bottle for 5 minutes
7. Record temperature after 5 minutes, leave the light on
8. Write what you observe as the bottle is being heated- write/ sketch
your observations
9. Turn off the lamp
10. Move the bottle away from the lamp.

11. Record the final temperature 5 minutes after the lamp is

removed

Data/Observations
Before the lamp was turned on.
Starting temperature:

Description: Balloon
After the lamp was turned on for 5
minutes.
Temperature after 5 minutes:
Description: Balloon

After the lamp was turned off for 5

minutes.
Temperature after 5 minutes:
K
Description: BalloonAs the temperature increased, air rose up from the bottle and into the
balloon; causing the balloon to become somewhat inflated

Analysis

=air molecule
Gas molecules rise,
volume increases
(balloon inflates)

Air at the start

Start Temp
K
Balloon

Air after 5 min. of heating Air after 5 min. of

Temp
K
cooling
Balloon
Temp
K
Balloon

At the start of the lab, all of the air molecules were in the bottle. As we
heated the air, we increased the kinetic energy and caused the air molecules
to spread out into the balloon as well; causing the balloon to inflate. The
temperature is directly proportional to the volume.
As temperature increases, volume increases.
Conclusion
My hypothesis, that increasing the temperature would cause the air to
warm and rise up into the balloon, was correct. The balloon inflating when
the temperature was raised and deflating when the temperature cooled
supported my hypothesis.
The results proved that the relationship between the volume of a gas
and the temperature of the gas directly proportional. I know as temperature
increases, the volume of a gas also increases and as the temperature
decreases the volume of a gas also decreases.