Ideal Gas Laws

Kinetic Molecular Theory
Animated gas chamber representing the current particle distribution, piston position, and pressure.
Graph of the selected gas-law relationship. Current values are reported in the labeled controls.

Gas variables

P
Pressure (atm): the force per unit area exerted on the container walls as a result of particle collisions.
V
Volume (L): the space occupied by the gas, represented by the region beneath the piston.
T
Temperature (K): a measure of the average translational kinetic energy of the gas particles.
n
Amount of gas (mol): the quantity of gas expressed in moles.

Ideal-gas model

  • Gas particles move continuously in random directions.
  • Collisions of the particles with the container walls and to each other are elastic.
  • The total particle volume is negligible compared with the volume of the container.
  • Intermolecular attractions and repulsions are negligible.