Answer the following in terms of volume, temperature, and/pressure. As a syringe plunger is pushed down, why does the marshmallow inside the syringe get squished even though the plungerr never touched it? What law does this demonstrate?
When a syringe plunger is pushed down without actually touching the marshmallow inside, the marshmallow gets squished due to a decrease in volume. This phenomenon can be explained by Boyle's Law, which states that the volume of a gas is inversely proportional to its pressure, assuming the temperature remains constant.
To understand why the marshmallow gets squished, let's break down the process:
1. Initially, the syringe contains air and the marshmallow. The gas molecules inside the syringe exert a certain pressure on the marshmallow.
2. When you push the plunger down, the volume of the syringe decreases. As the volume decreases, the same number of gas molecules are present in a smaller space, resulting in a higher concentration of gas molecules.
3. According to Boyle's Law, the increased concentration of gas molecules leads to a proportional increase in pressure.
4. The increased pressure exerts a force on the marshmallow, causing it to compress even though the plunger did not physically touch it.
In summary, as the volume of the syringe decreases while the temperature remains constant, the increased concentration of gas molecules results in higher pressure. This increase in pressure causes the marshmallow to get squished without direct contact, demonstrating Boyle's Law.