"A" Level Physics:

Systems and Processes

Unit 4

Introduction.
There are various ways that have been developed to describe how a gas behaves.

Thermodynamics: deals with "macroscopic variables" that may be measured such as

Temperature T, Pressure P and Volume V. As a theory It says nothing about the behaviour of
the atoms and molecules that make up the gas.

Statistical Mechanics: Looks at the behaviour of individual atoms. Though it would be

impossible to look at every atom in a gas, the laws of mechanics can be applied statistically
to give an overall picture.

This approach can be applied at 2 levels.

(i)

Kinetic Theory: - applies the laws of mechanics in a rather physical way using simple
averaging techniques to understand the way in which the behaviour of atoms leads to an
understanding of pressure and temperature for an IDEAL GAS.

(ii)

Statistical Mechanics: - a much more general and more abstract way of looking at a
collection of atoms from the point of view of the energies of a collection of particles this can be used to derive the laws of Thermodynamics. In its fullest form Quantum
Statistics, the ideas of quantum mechanics are included.

4.9.1 An Ideal Gas and the Gas Laws:

The gas laws were early models of a gas which were determined experimentally by scientists
working in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. The three laws were combined to give an
equation of state for an ideal gas. We shall look first at the ideal gas equation as a way of
describing a gas then see how it gives the three gas laws for use in particular situations.
Q: What is an ideal Gas ?
Ans: a gas whose constituent particles obey the assumptions made in the kinetic theory
model of a gas (see later). Most gases at low pressures and temperatures can be
considered as ideal.

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The Ideal Gas Equation:

pV = nRT

p - pressure in Pa
V - volume in m3.
T - temperature in K... (Dont forget to convert C to K)
n - number of moles of gas.
where

number of moles

mass
relative molecular mass.

R - Universal gas constant.

Use of pV = nRT in problem solving:
pV

nRT

pV

nR
T

For a particular gas nR is a constant.

Hence

pV
T

Constant:

If one of the variables p, V or T were changed then all the others would change BUT the
equation pV/T would still give the same constant !
Hence

where p1
p2

p1 V1 =
T1

p2 V2
T2

is pressure before change occurred.

is pressure after change occurred
and similarly with V1 ,V2 ,T1 and T2

"A" level problems quite often involve using this approach to calculate new values of p,V or T
after a change has been made to a gas.
The Gas Laws:
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(i)

BOYLE'S LAW:

For gas at constant Temperature:

Any change made is an ISOTHERMAL change.
Since

OR

(ii)

pV

Constant:
T

pV

constant

p1 V1 =

p2 V2

CHARLES LAW:

For gas at constant pressure:

Any change made is an ISOBARIC change.
Since

(iii)

pV
T

Constant:

constant.
T

V1
T1

V2
T2

The Pressure Law:

For a gas at constant volume.

Any change made is an ISOCHORIC
or ISOVOLUMETRIC change.
Since

pV
T

Constant:

p
T

constant.

p1
T1

p2
T2

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