Question

Janet observes that the shape of a dented table tennis ball is restored by heating the ball gently in warm water. Which of the following gas laws is used to understand the observation made by Janet and why?
The high temperature lowers volume according to Boyle's law because this law describes how a gas will behave when the number of moles remains constant.
The high temperature raises volume according to Boyle's law because this law describes how a gas will behave when the number of moles remains constant.
The high temperature lowers the volume of air inside the ball according to Charles's law because this law describes how a gas will behave at constant pressure.
The high temperature raises the volume of air inside the ball according to Charles's law because this law describes how a gas will behave at constant pressure.

Answer 1

Choice B: By Boyle's Law, higher temperature increases the volume of a fixed amount of gas.

Explanation

By Boyle's Law, the volume of an ideal gas is proportional to its absolute temperature (the one in degrees Kelvin.) In other words,

$V \propto T$.

where

• $V$ is the volume of an ideal gas, and
• $T$ is its temperature in degrees Kelvins.

Heating the gas in the tennis ball while keeping pressure and the amount of gas constant will increase the volume of the gas.