Question

Difficulty: HardBoyle's Law and Pressure-Volume Relationship

For a fixed mass of an ideal gas held under isothermal conditions, a graph of pressure (PP) plotted against inverse volume (1V\frac{1}{V}) forms a straight line passing through the origin, whose slope increases proportionally with an increase in the system's absolute temperature.

Answer: Answer

Answer

The statement is true because the mathematical formulation of Boyle's Law extended by the ideal gas relation, P=(nRT)(1V)P = (nRT)\left(\frac{1}{V}\right), matches the linear equation y=mxy = mx where the slope m=nRTm = nRT is directly proportional to the absolute temperature TT.
The statement accurately reflects the mathematical structure of Boyle's Law under ideal gas behavior. Expressing pressure as P=(nRT)(1V)P = (nRT)\left(\frac{1}{V}\right) shows that a plot of PP versus 1V\frac{1}{V} yields a straight line with y-intercept at zero and slope equal to nRTnRT. Because the slope is directly proportional to absolute temperature TT, raising the temperature increases the gradient of the resulting line.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Express Boyle's Law incorporating absolute temperature
PV=nRT    P=(nRT)(1V)PV = nRT \implies P = (nRT)\left(\frac{1}{V}\right)
Relate pressure, volume, and absolute temperature mathematically for a fixed mass of gas.
2
Compare the equation to the standard straight-line equation y=mx+cy = mx + c
y=Py = P, x=1Vx = \frac{1}{V}, slope m=nRTm = nRT, and y-intercept c=0c = 0
Determine the graphical relationship when PP is plotted against 1V\frac{1}{V}.
3
Analyze the dependence of the slope on absolute temperature
Since nn (moles of gas) and RR (molar gas constant) are fixed, mTm \propto T
Evaluate how increasing absolute temperature affects the gradient of the isotherm.

Key Concept

Boyle's Law Graphical Representation and Slope-Temperature Relationship
Rate this question