💨 Gas Laws – Boyle’s, Charles’, Ideal Gas Law & Real-World Strategy

Gas law questions are some of the most predictable yet tricky general chemistry problems on the DAT. You’ll be asked to calculate pressure or volume, or apply conceptual reasoning to how gases behave when temperature or volume changes.

Today’s blog breaks it all down:

• Key gas law formulas

• When to use which equation

• Real-world applications (including lungs!)

• DAT-style strategy and shortcuts

🔬 Key Gas Laws for the DAT

Law	Equation	Variables	Relationship
Boyle’s Law	P₁V₁ = P₂V₂	Pressure & Volume	Inverse
Charles’ Law	V₁/T₁ = V₂/T₂	Volume & Temperature	Direct
Gay-Lussac’s Law	P₁/T₁ = P₂/T₂	Pressure & Temperature	Direct
Ideal Gas Law	PV = nRT	All variables	Universal

🧠 Mnemonic: "Boyle is Inversely Pressed by Volume", "Charles Loves Hot Air Balloons (V ∝ T)"

🧬 Ideal Gas Law Explained

PV = nRT

Symbol	Meaning	Units
P	Pressure	atm
V	Volume	Liters (L)
n	Moles of gas	mol
R	Gas constant	0.0821 L·atm/mol·K
T	Temperature	Kelvin (K)

✅ Always convert Celsius → Kelvin before plugging in!

📈 Real-Life Applications (DAT Tie-Ins)

• Respiratory system: Lungs expand → volume ↑ → pressure ↓ → air flows in (Boyle’s Law)

• Gas syringe question: If you heat a sealed syringe, volume expands (Charles’ Law)

• Diving questions: Pressure doubles → volume halves (Boyle’s Law)

📊 DAT-Style Question Example

Q: A 2.0 L container holds 1.0 mol of gas at 1.0 atm. What is the temperature in Kelvin?
A: Use PV = nRT → (1)(2) = (1)(0.0821)(T) → T ≈ 24.37 K

✅ Questions may be conceptual or math-based—practice both!

🚀 Call-to-Action

Want to make gas law questions effortless?

Download the KOTC App to:

• Unlock gas law flashcards

• Access DAT-style timed math questions

• Visualize each law with animations

• Compete for Curve Coins + leaderboard rewards

📲 Turn pressure into performance with KOTC.

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