- PRO Courses Guides New Tech Help Pro Expert Videos About wikiHow Pro Upgrade Sign In
- EDIT Edit this Article
- EXPLORE Tech Help Pro About Us Random Article Quizzes Request a New Article Community Dashboard This Or That Game Forums Popular Categories Arts and Entertainment Artwork Books Movies Computers and Electronics Computers Phone Skills Technology Hacks Health Men's Health Mental Health Women's Health Relationships Dating Love Relationship Issues Hobbies and Crafts Crafts Drawing Games Education & Communication Communication Skills Personal Development Studying Personal Care and Style Fashion Hair Care Personal Hygiene Youth Personal Care School Stuff Dating All Categories Arts and Entertainment Finance and Business Home and Garden Relationship Quizzes Cars & Other Vehicles Food and Entertaining Personal Care and Style Sports and Fitness Computers and Electronics Health Pets and Animals Travel Education & Communication Hobbies and Crafts Philosophy and Religion Work World Family Life Holidays and Traditions Relationships Youth
- Browse Articles
- Learn Something New
- Quizzes Hot
- Happiness Hub
- This Or That Game
- Train Your Brain
- Explore More
- Support wikiHow
- About wikiHow
- Log in / Sign up
- Education and Communications
How to Demonstrate Charles's Law
Last Updated: April 1, 2024 Fact Checked
This article was co-authored by Bess Ruff, MA . Bess Ruff is a Geography PhD student at Florida State University. She received her MA in Environmental Science and Management from the University of California, Santa Barbara in 2016. She has conducted survey work for marine spatial planning projects in the Caribbean and provided research support as a graduate fellow for the Sustainable Fisheries Group. There are 11 references cited in this article, which can be found at the bottom of the page. This article has been fact-checked, ensuring the accuracy of any cited facts and confirming the authority of its sources. This article has been viewed 252,348 times.
Charles's Law states that the volume of an ideal gas changes proportionally to the temperature of that gas, given that pressure and amount of gas present are held constant. The equation for Charles's law can be expressed as V 1 /T 1 =V 2 /T 2 . In other words, if a balloon is filled with air, it will shrink if cooled and expand if heated. This happens because the air inside the balloon, which is a gas, takes up a smaller volume when it is cool, and takes up a larger volume when it is heated.
Demonstrating Charles’s Law with an Inflated Balloon
- Do not let the balloon expand too much, as this may cause it to pop.
Demonstrating Charles’s Law by Expanding and Contracting a Balloon
- It may be easier and safer to put the balloon on the flask before heating the water.
Demonstrating Charles’s Law Mathematically
Expert Q&A
- Try heating a cold balloon in hot tap water and see if it expands. Thanks Helpful 7 Not Helpful 1
- Use party balloons instead of water balloons. Water balloons are made to burst easier. Thanks Helpful 2 Not Helpful 0
- Note that, when using the method “Demonstrating Charles’s Law by Expanding and Contracting a Balloon,” accurate measurements of the balloon’s circumference are difficult to make. This method works best for a purely visual demonstration. Thanks Helpful 1 Not Helpful 0
- If you are using boiling water, exercise caution. You could easily be burned. Thanks Helpful 1 Not Helpful 0
- Be careful not to let the balloon expand too much. This will cause it to burst. Thanks Helpful 1 Not Helpful 1
Things You’ll Need
- Party Balloons
- Heat Source
- Erlenmeyer Flask
- Party Balloon
- Heat Resistant Gloves
You Might Also Like
- ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NplVuTrr59U?=youtu.bet=75
- ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NplVuTrr59U?=youtu.bet=58
- ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NplVuTrr59U?=youtu.bet=99
- ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NplVuTrr59U?=youtu.bet=117
- ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NplVuTrr59U?=youtu.bet=121
- ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QjDJgF9H580?=youtu.b&t=20
- ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QjDJgF9H580?=youtu.bet=34
- ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QjDJgF9H580?=youtu.bet=53
- ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QjDJgF9H580?=youtu.b&t=60
- ↑ http://www.chemteam.info/GasLaw/Gas-Charles.html
- ↑ https://chem.libretexts.org/Bookshelves/General_Chemistry/Map%3A_A_Molecular_Approach_(Tro)/05%3A_Gases/5.03%3A_The_Simple_Gas_Laws-_Boyles_Law_Charless_Law_and_Avogadros_Law
About This Article
- Send fan mail to authors
Reader Success Stories
Quincy Johnson
May 4, 2017
Did this article help you?
James Peach
Oct 20, 2022
Apr 11, 2018
Oct 26, 2017
Mohammed Umar Ishaque
Oct 22, 2017
Featured Articles
Trending Articles
Watch Articles
- Terms of Use
- Privacy Policy
- Do Not Sell or Share My Info
- Not Selling Info
Get all the best how-tos!
Sign up for wikiHow's weekly email newsletter
Verification of Charles' law for an ideal gas
YOU WILL NEED
a 0 - 100 o C thermometer a tall 1 litre beaker a glass capillary tube containing air sealed in with an oil and sulphuric acid plug and closed at one end 2 rubber bands a bunsen tripod gauze and mat
Fill your beaker with cold water. Fix the glass capillary tube to the thermometer with the rubber bands with the open end at the top. The bottom of the tube should be level with the -10 o C mark on the thermometer.
Put the thermometer and tube in the water, the open end of the tube should be just above water level. Record the water temperature. Record the volume of the trapped air in the tube, you should record this as a number of thermometer divisions. (Remember it starts at -10 o ). Light the bunsen and heat the water to boiling slowly. Take readings of the volume of the air every 10 o C and record them. When the water boils turn off the bunsen.
ANALYSIS AND CONCLUSIONS
(In the example shown the volume is about 24 units and the temperature 22 o C.) Plot a graph of volume against temperature starting at 0 o C. (A) Plot a further graph showing -350 o C to +100 o C. (B) Find where your line cuts the temperature axis - this is ABSOLUTE ZERO. Find out the increase in volume for a 10 o C rise in temperature from your graph and hence calculate the increase in volume per degree centigrade ?
IMAGES
VIDEO
COMMENTS
This is a modern version of a classic experiment by Jacques Charles (who was also interested in flying balloons). Charles studied the volume of a sample of air—sealed in a glass tube with a U-shaped curve—as he systematically changed the temperature by immersing the tube in a water bath.
Charles's Law states that the volume of an ideal gas changes proportionally to the temperature of that gas, given that pressure and amount of gas present are held constant. The equation for Charles's law can be expressed as V1/T1=V2/T2.
Experiment 4 ∙ Charles’ Law 4‐7 Estimate of absolute zero The data gathered in verifying Charles’ Law consists of two or‐ dered pairs: one pair corresponds to higher temperature and larger gas volume, whereas the other corresponds to lower temperature and
Lab Session 10, Experiment 9: Charles’ Law. The purpose of this experiment is to study the changes in the volume of a gas with changes in temperature at constant pressure.
To experimentally prove Charles's Law, one can conduct a simple laboratory experiment. Begin with a gas sample confined in a container with a movable piston, maintaining constant pressure.
Charles’s law implies that the volume of a gas is directly proportional to its absolute temperature. The volume of a gas is inversely proportional to its pressure and directly proportional to its temperature and the amount of gas. Boyle showed that the volume of a sample of a gas is inversely ….
The aim of this experiment shows how a gas behaves when it is heated at constant pressure. The law it obeys is called CHARLES’ LAW.
Investigation of Boyle’s (constant temperature) law and Charles’s (constant pressure) law for a gas. Boyle’s law. Equipment: Stand and clamp. Syringe. Rubber tubing. Pinch clip. String. 100g masses with 100g holder. Method: With the plunger removed from the syringe, measure the inside diameter d of the syringe using a vernier caliper.
Thermal expansion of air - Charles' law. Practical Activity for 14-16. Class practical. Expansion of air at constant pressure and an indication of absolute zero (-273°C).
A simple experiment to determine absolute zero using Charles' Law is illustrated below. An Erlenmeyer flask is weighed and placed in a boiling water bath and allowed to come to thermal equilibrium. The temperature is measured and found to be 99.0 o C.