boyle's law

• equipment

  • stand and clamp
  • syringe
  • rubber tubing
  • pinch clip
  • string
  • 100g masses with 100g holder
• method

  • remove plunger from syringe and measure inside diameter of syringe using vernier calliper
  • replace plunger and draw in 4ml of air
  • fit rubber tubing over nozzle and clamp with pinch clip
  • set up apparatus with only 100g mass holder and 1x 100g mass suspended
  • gently move plunger up and down to ensure it isn't sticking and release
  • record new volume on syringe
  • add 2x 100g masses to holder and repeat, adding 2x 100g masses to 1kg
  • repeat experiment twice moew and find mean volume for each mass
• graphs and calculations

  • calculate cross sectional area of syringe
  • $A=$$\frac{\pi d^2}{4}$
  • calculate and tabulate force on each mass
  • $F=$$mg$
  • find pressure exerted by force
  • $p=$$\frac{F}{A}$
  • subtract from atmospheric pressure (101kPa) to obtain pressure of air sample at each volume
  • plot graph of $\frac{1}{volume}$ against pressure and draw line of best fit
  • straight line through origin
  • pressure is inversely proportional to volume
• safety

  • stand could topple over

  precautions

  • use a counterweight
• improvements

  • clamp should be high enough that it doesn't distort syringe barrel and reduce plunger movement
  • syringe can be lubricated to prevent plunger sticking