The gas laws describe the behavior of gases under specific conditions of temperature, pressure, and volume. Three gas laws show the relationship between two variables when all others are held constant: Boyle’s law (pressure and volume are inversely proportional), Charles’s law (volume and temperature are directly proportional), and Gay-Lussac’s law (temperature and pressure are directly proportional).

Question

What would happen to the pressure of a gas, if the temperature decreases, while the volume is held constant?

Answer 1

According to Gay-Lussac's law, if the temperature of a gas decreases while the volume is held constant, the pressure of the gas would also decrease. This is because the two variables, temperature, and pressure, are directly proportional to each other under these conditions. As the temperature decreases, the average kinetic energy of the gas molecules decreases, leading to fewer collisions with the walls of the container and therefore lower pressure.