Gas Laws

Let's look at gases first.  Why do gases behave as they do? How can we explain gas behavior?  We'll turn to the Kinetic Molecular Theory for some answers.    In fact using the Kinetic Molecular Theory, a number of gas relationships -- Pressure-Volume (Boyle's Law), Volume-Temperature (Charles' Law), and Pressure-Temperature (Gay-Lussac's Law), Partial Pressure Relationships( Dalton's Law of Partial Pressures's )-- all can be explained by recognizing what happens when molecules are in motion.  Those relationships can be interpreted together (Combined Gas Law ) ---and when combined with Avogadro's principle, a relationship very useful in predicting gas behaviors and applications --the Ideal Gas Law-- is derived.   

When utilizing these gas laws, several different units of measurement are used. There are many units used in measuring pressure.    With temperature, however, the absolute temperature scale Kelvin will usually be used.  We'll also discover ways of interpreting gas pressures in lab equipment without special pressure gages.