ASTB Mechanical Comprehension Practice Exam

Boyle's Law states that at constant temperature, the pressure of a gas is inversely related to its volume. This means that as the volume of a gas increases, the pressure decreases, and vice versa, provided the temperature remains unchanged.

This relationship can be mathematically expressed as \( P \times V = k \), where \( P \) is the pressure, \( V \) is the volume, and \( k \) is a constant for a given amount of gas at a constant temperature. This inverse relationship arises because when the volume of a gas is increased, the gas molecules have more space to move around, leading to fewer collisions with the walls of the container and thus a decrease in pressure. Conversely, if the volume is decreased while the temperature is held constant, the gas molecules will collide more frequently with the walls, resulting in an increase in pressure.

Understanding Boyle's Law is crucial in fields such as chemistry and physics, where the behavior of gases is often analyzed and applied in various real-world scenarios, such as predicting how gases behave in different environments.