Laboratory 4

Determining How Gas Volume Varies with Temperature

Read: Unit 6: ch 4. Also, Part 1, below.
View: The recorded class titled Prelab 4 and the video titled Lab 4 Demo
Download: This document, which includes the Data/Answer Sheet. Also a piece of graph paper (but you
might have to bring your own.)
What to bring: Course Notes, calculator, graph paper
Summary: You will study the relationship between gas temperature and gas volume and practice plotting
and interpreting graphs.
Equipment: glass U-tube, digital thermometer, ring stand, clamps, beakers, 10-cm plastic ruler

Part 1) Choosing an appropriate scale unit for a graph

Whenever you make a graph, you need to assign numbers to the grid marks on the abscissa
(horizontal axis) and the ordinate (vertical axis). This is called determining an appropriate scale unit. You
want your plotted data to be spread out, not squashed into a tiny portion of the paper, but not spread out
so much that you need more than one piece of paper to represent them. You also want to choose a scale
unit that makes it relatively easy to plot the data, and that is consistent with the uncertainty in the data.
The following example shows how to go about selecting an appropriate scale unit.
Suppose you have a piece of graph paper with the following pattern of marks along one axis:

\ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ etc. -à pattern repeats a total of 23 times

There are 10 spaces between two large marks. Suppose you have the following set of data that you want
to place on this axis: 7.53, 18.29, 30.99, 42.81, 50.60 (units are liters). In order to estimate the number of
liters to assign to each small slash mark, we can make a ratio: scale unit= 10*23=230 scale units
Range= 50.60L-7.53L= 43.07L
Ratio= Range/Scale unit= 43.07L/230scale units= 0.19 L/scale unit
approximate range of the data / number of marks available on the paper
All data are included between 7 L, and 51 L. So the data span approximately 44 L. There are a total of 23
x 10 = 230 small spaces available across the length of the paper. Making our ratio, we get:
44 L / 230 small spaces = 0.19 L / 1 small space.
If we let each small space represent 0.2 L, then we say that our scale unit is 0.2 L. The space between
each large mark will then represent 2 L. This means the entire length of paper accommodates 23 x 2 = 46
L. Starting at 7 (you do not always have to start at 0), we would label the paper as follows:

\ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \
7 9 11 13 etc. àup to 53
Note that 53 – 7 = 46. The data will be spread out along most of the length of the paper. Note also that
each piece of the data is reported to two decimal places, so the uncertainty in each is in the hundredths
place. The scale we have chosen is reasonable, since we can place numbers on it with certainty in the
tenths place, but we must estimate the hundredths place. A similar procedure would be used for the data
that will appear on the other axis of the graph.
Let the above example serve as a guide when you choose scale units for your graphs. It is ok if your
graph does not completely fill the paper. Choose a scale value that is convenient (e.g. 1, 2, 4, 5 or 10
units, not something like 3.5 units), such that your graph fills at least ½ to ¾ of the paper. You must also

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do the following when you make your graph: Label the axes, draw the best
curve or straight line through the data points (do not connect the dots), and
give the graph a title.

Part 2) Experimental Procedure and Data Collection

In this experiment, you will be studying how the volume of a gas (air) varies as
its temperature changes. The air will be trapped in a U-tube (picture, right).
The tube will be submerged in a large test tube filled with warm water. Some
water will enter the U-tube, as shown here, trapping the air above it. As it is
heated or cooled, the air volume will increase or decrease. Even though air is
invisible, you will be able to observe its volume change by observing the water level change in the tube.
The taller the column of air in the arms of the U-tube, the greater is the volume of air.
Measuring the height of the air column in the tube is an indirect measure of its volume. The volume, V,
of a cylinder (which is the shape of the straight portion of the tube) is given by V = π r2 h,
where r = tube radius, h = height of the air column, and π = 3.14. In this experiment we will assume that
π r2 = 0.200 cm2. On the 10-cm ruler used to measure the height of the air column, each small mark is
1 mm (0.1 cm), so you can read tenths of a cm and estimate hundredths as ±0.05 cm. e.g. 4.20, 2.35, etc.)

Procedure for collecting volume vs. temperature data for the gas, air.
You will observe the procedure for collecting data as a demonstration. The U-tube shown above will be
submerged in a large test tube filled with warm water. The tube will be attached to a stand. The
temperature of the air trapped inside will be taken to be the temperature of the water. The height of the air
column will be measured using the 10-cm ruler as the water temperature decreases.

When you meet with your pod instructor, you will be given some sample data, which you will enter on
the Data Sheet, given below. You will use this to plot a graph of volume vs. temperature in order to
determine the relationship between these two properties. You will also answer some questions, given
below:

Part 3) Interpreting Your Data

1) Define the following terms: (2 pts each)
Abscissa is the horizontal (x) axis in a two-dimensional graph

Ordinate is the vertical (Y) axis in a two-dimensional graph

Independent variable it is on the x-axis the variable that we can control does not depend on that of
another.

Dependent variable it is on the y-axis it is the variable that changes depending on the controlled
or independent variable

Interpolation anything inside the data set that was taken more accurate.

Extrapolation assuming that the graph extends proportionately to view the data that is outside the
given graph anything outside the data point that was taken.

2) In this experiment, which variable (temperature or volume) is the independent variable? Which is the
dependent variable? 6 pts
Temperature is the the independent while the volume is depended

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3) In this experiment, which variable should go on the abscissa? Which should go on the ordinate? 6 pts

The temperature is on the abscissa, the volume should be on the ordinate

4) Plot a graph of volume vs. temperature using the data given to you by your instructor. Choose an
appropriate scale unit for each axis. Make sure your graph has labeled axes, the best curve or straight line
through the data points (do not connect the dots), and give the graph a title. 50 pts
scale unit= 115 scale units
Range= 600C -200C = 400C
Ratio= Range/Scale unit= 400C /115scale units= 0.4 0C /scale unit

For Y 85 scale unit

Ratio=0.8cm^3/85= 0.01cm^3/scale unit

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5) Based on your graph, what is the relationship between gas temperature and gas volume, inversely
proportional or directly proportional? (Be careful.) 6 pts

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Directly proportional because when the temperature increases the air volume increases

6) In this experiment, mass of gas, m, and pressure, p, are essentially constant. Based on the equation
(p1V1 / m1T1) = (p2V2 / m2T2) and what you indicated about the volume and temperature relationship in
question 5, above, what should be the relationship (inversely proportional or directly proportional)
between the following variables: p and T (constant V & m); p and m (const T and V); p and V (const T
and m)? 6 pts
P and V are inversely proportional when the volume increase the pressure decreases and vice versa
V and T are directly proportional when the temperature increases the volume increases and vice versa
P and T are directly proportional when the temperature increases the pressure increases and vice versa

Data Sheet
Temp, 0C air column height, h, cm air volume, cm3
(±0.1) 2 decimals (to 0.05cm) (column 2) (π r2) (π r2) = 0.200
60.0
_____ _7.00_____ ___1.40___
55.0 (3 significant figures)
_____ __6.55___ ___1.31___
50.0
_____ ___6.00__ ___1.20___
45.0
_____ __5.45___ ___1.09___
40.0
_____ ___5.00__ ___1.00___
35.0
_____ ___4.55__ ___0.910___
30.0
_____ __4.00___ ___0.800___
25.0
_____ ___3.45__ ___0.690___
20.0
_____ ___3.00__ ___0.600___