Increasing what variable would decrease the pressure of a contained gas?
Increasing the volume will decrease the pressure of a gas.
The pressure of a gas is affected by several variables, including temperature, volume, and the number of gas particles present. If you want to decrease the pressure of a contained gas, you can choose to increase any of these variables. However, assuming the temperature and the number of gas particles remain constant, the most direct way to decrease the pressure of a contained gas is by increasing its volume. According to Boyle's Law, the pressure of a gas is inversely proportional to its volume at a constant temperature and number of particles. So, increasing the volume of a contained gas will lead to a decrease in pressure.
To determine which variable to increase in order to decrease the pressure of a contained gas, we need to refer to the ideal gas law, which is expressed as:
PV = nRT
Where:
P = pressure
V = volume
n = number of moles of gas
R = ideal gas constant
T = temperature
From the ideal gas law, we can see that pressure (P) is directly proportional to the product of the number of moles (n) and temperature (T), and inversely proportional to the volume (V).
So, to decrease the pressure of a contained gas, we have a few options:
1. Increase the volume (V): By increasing the volume of the container (assuming the other variables remain constant), the pressure will decrease, as long as the number of moles and temperature remain the same.
2. Decrease the number of moles (n): By reducing the amount of gas inside the container (assuming the other variables are constant), the pressure will decrease.
3. Decrease the temperature (T): Lowering the temperature of the gas (keeping the other variables constant) will result in a decrease in pressure.
Therefore, by increasing the volume, decreasing the number of moles, or decreasing the temperature, you can reduce the pressure of a contained gas.