• There are 3 main graphs from our gas law study:

  • Pressure vs. Volume (P-V) 📉
  • Pressure vs. Temperature 📈
  • Volume vs. Temperature 📊

• These graphs help us understand gas processes, i.e., changes in the conditions of a gas.

🤔 Real-World Example: Think of a balloon. As you blow air into it (increasing its volume), it stretches and the pressure inside increases. If you place it in a freezer, the cold causes the air inside to shrink (reducing volume)!

• Picture a cylinder with a piston and gas trapped inside.
• When the gas expands, it moves the piston upwards by a distance Δx.

🌍 Real-World Example: This is like a bicycle pump. When you push down, the air is compressed and then released with pressure into your bike tire!

• P-V graphs aren’t just fancy squiggly lines! Engineers use them to study steam engines and internal combustion engines.
• History Fun Fact: James Watt & John Southern, during the early days of steam engines, and Émile Clapeyron in 1834, used P-V diagrams. These pioneers were the OG engineers!

• The first law of thermodynamics (don't worry, it's not as scary as it sounds) simply states: W = + PΔV.
• When gas expands at constant pressure, the work done is represented by the area below a line on the P-V graph.

🚗 Real-World Example: Ever wondered about the 'vroom' in your car? Well, that’s your car’s engine doing work, and this can be visualized on a P-V graph!