Gas Piston
Volume scales with temperature in kelvin at constant pressure. Drag the piston to the new volume, then lock in.
How to play Gas Piston
A cylinder holds gas at 300 K under a movable piston. The gas is then heated or cooled to a new temperature at constant pressure. Drag the piston up or down to where you think it will settle and press Lock in. You score when you are within 0.4 L of the right volume. There are six rounds.
The chemistry behind it
At constant pressure, the volume of a gas is proportional to its absolute temperature. This is Charles's law, a special case of the combined gas law P₁V₁/T₁ = P₂V₂/T₂. With 4 L at 300 K heated to 600 K, V₂ = 4 × 600 ÷ 300 = 8 L.
Temperatures must be in kelvin. If you are given Celsius, add 273.15 first. Doubling the kelvin temperature doubles the volume, but doubling the Celsius temperature does not.
Use it for chemistry class
Gas law problems are common on chemistry and AP Chemistry exams. The combined gas law calculator solves for pressure, volume or temperature, and the AP Chem score calculator estimates your exam result.
Frequently asked questions
What is the combined gas law?
P₁V₁/T₁ = P₂V₂/T₂ for a fixed amount of gas, with temperature in kelvin.
Why must temperature be in kelvin?
Gas laws use absolute temperature, where zero means no thermal motion. Celsius and Fahrenheit zeros are arbitrary.
What happens to volume when a gas is cooled?
At constant pressure it shrinks in proportion to the kelvin temperature.
Is Gas Piston free?
Yes. It runs in your browser with no sign-up.
Related calculators
- Combined Gas Law Calculator: Combined gas law calculator: solve for the final pressure, volume or temperature using P1V1/T1 = P2V2/T2.
- AP Chem Score Calculator: AP Chem score calculator: estimate your AP Chemistry 1-5 score from multiple-choice and free-response points.
- Temperature Converter: Temperature converter: convert Fahrenheit to Celsius, Celsius to Fahrenheit, and either to Kelvin.
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