UC Irvine FOCUS!
5 E Lesson Plan
Title: Boyles Law
Grade Level and Course: Grade 9-12 High School Chemistry
Materials:
Wire
syringe with plunger
tubing with pinch clamp
ring stand
weights
clamp
graph paper
Instructional Resources Used: (concept maps, websites, think-pair-share, video
clips, random selection of students etc.) :
 Pre-determined lab groups, video clips,
 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J_I8Y-i4Axc,
 Think-pair-share
o Day prior to lab, have students in groups of two watch
http://www.sciencegeek.net/VirtualLabs/BoylesLaw.html
o Students will observe what happens when plunger is moved and record
observations. They will share with their partner and determine a cause for
observation and report out to class.
o Students absent from class will accomplish computer simulation lab
http://phet.colorado.edu/simulations/
California State Standards: (written out)
Gases and Their Properties
4. The kinetic molecular theory describes the motion of atoms and molecules and
explains the properties of gases. As a basis for understanding this concept:
a. Students know the random motion of molecules and their collisions with a
surface create the observable pressure on that surface.
c. Students know how to apply the gas laws to relations between the
pressure, temperature, and volume of any amount of an ideal gas or any
mixture of ideal gases.
g. * Students know the kinetic theory of gases relates the absolute
temperature of a gas to the average kinetic energy of its molecules or atoms.
Investigation & Experimentation - Grades 9 To 12
Science Content Standards.
1. Scientific progress is made by asking meaningful questions and conducting
careful investigations. As a basis for understanding this concept and addressing the
content in the other four strands, students should develop their own questions and
perform investigations. Students will:
a. Select and use appropriate tools and technology (such as computer-linked
probes, spreadsheets, and graphing calculators) to perform tests, collect data,
analyze relationships, and display data.
b. Identify and communicate sources of unavoidable experimental error.
c. Identify possible reasons for inconsistent results, such as sources of error
or uncontrolled conditions.
d. Formulate explanations by using logic and evidence.
Lesson Objectives:
o Students will successfully perform the lab, record data and interpret results
to confirm or reject experimental hypothesis.
o Students will be able to apply volume and pressure concepts to real world
applications.
o Students will be able to predict and solve for missing quantities in the Boyle’s
Gas Law equation.
o Students will experimentally determine the relationship between pressure
and volume.
Differentiation Strategies to meet the needs of diverse learners:
 English Learners: In mixed ability groupings, students will be asked to define
the term kinetic theory and then perform the lab. Students will draw the
procedures, labeling materials. Model the procedure, following the
procedure drawn by the student.
 Special Education: Recap and restate the previous days computer simulation.
Students will participate in normal class.
 GATE: Using the graph created in the lab, students will extrapolate values for
pressure given volume data. They will then compare these values to
calculated values using Boyles equation V1P1=V2P2.
ENGAGE
 Describe how the teacher will capture the students’ interest.
Blow up a balloon and tie the end. Squeeze the balloon until it pops. Then
take a strawberry, place it in a beaker and squish it. Do the same with a
marble.

What kind of questions should the students ask themselves after the
engagement?
o Why did the balloon volume get bigger as air was put in?
o What caused the balloon to pop?
o Why did the strawberry crush but not the marble?
EXPLORE
 Describe the hands-on laboratory activity that the students will be doing.
o Students will be adding specific mass to a suspended syringe with
plunger. As the masses are added, students will observe and record
the new volume. Masses will be added in 200 g increments until
volume readings are no longer possible. Students will then remove
the masses on at a time, again recording the volume. Do as many
trials as possible.
 List the “big idea” conceptual questions that the teacher will ask to focus the
student exploration.
a. What property of a gas allows its volume to behave the way it is
observed to do?
b. What general function is the pressure-volume following?
EXPLAIN
 What is the “big idea” concept that students should have internalized from
doing the exploration?
One of the properties of gases is the weak forces between molecules of
gas. This allows for some amount of space between molecules. As the
pressure is increased, the molecules are pushed closer together thereby decreasing the volume that the gas occupies. Inversely, as the
pressure decreases, the volume will increase.
 List the higher order questions that the teacher will ask to solicit student
explanations for their laboratory outcomes, and justify their explanations.
a. Using kinetic molecular theory, explain why the balloon’s volume
changes.
b. Is there a point where the volume will no longer decrease no matter
how much the pressure is?
c. What would happen to pressure if the volume of the container
holding the gas was reduced?
EXTEND
 Explain how students will develop a more sophisticated understanding of the
concept.
o Watch video clip http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J_I8Y-i4Axc.
After watching, put students back into groups and have them apply
the video concept to breathing. They will answer the following
question: How does breathing work? Each group will then share out
their conclusion.
 How is this knowledge applied in our daily lives?
o Students will work in groups of two to research an application of
Boyle’s Law, and present it to the class in power point. For
differentiation, students can build a poster with the concept in picture
form.
EVALUATE
 How will the student demonstrate their new understanding and/or skill?
Students will correctly answer benchmark questions on Boyle’s Law,
kinetic molecular theory and chapter test. Further understanding will
be shown by the presentation.
 What is the learning product for the lesson?
a. Successful completion of the lab.
b. Correctly answering the lab questions.
c. Accurate completion of the graph and presentation board.
Background Knowledge for the Teacher:
 When the gas laws are discussed, the kinetic molecular theory must first be
addressed for students to understand “why” not just “it does”. Gas molecules
have very small intermolecular forces. There is “space” between them, which
not only allows for compression but the ability to do work without a reaction.
As molecules of a gas collide with a surface, they create a pressure. Pressure
can be increased by increasing the velocity of the molecules i.e., increasing
temperature or by increasing the number of gas molecules.
 If the temperature is kept constant any change in pressure or volume will
result in the inverse change of the volume or pressure. Pressure is force per
unit area. What we observe as the pressure of a gas is the force of collisions
as the particles strike the walls of the container. If these collisions occur
frequently, the gas pressure is high. If the collisions don’t occur very often,
the pressure is low. Any change in the conditions that results in more
frequent collisions will increase the pressure.
 What we observe as the volume of a gas is the empty space the particles
travel through. The larger the volume, the greater the distance between
particles. Any change in the conditions that results in a longer distance
between particles is due to an increase in volume.
Source: http://www.chemprofessor.com/kmt.htm
Student pages are attached.
Boyle’s Law
Purpose:
To experimentally prove the volume and pressure inverse proportionality
relationship as stated by Boyle’s Law;
P1V1=P2V2
Hypothesis: (student derived)
Materials:
wire
pinch clamp
weights
syringe with plunger
support stand
syringe clamp
tubing
Procedure:
1. Connect the piece of tubing to the syringe.
2. Open the pinch clamp on the tubing and fill the syringe with air to the max
displayed volume. Close the pinch clamp.
3. Attach the syringe clamp near the top of a support stand.
4. Turn syringe tip pointing down and secure it to the clamp attached to the support
stand.
5. Secure the wire to the top in a loop so that the bottom of the loop is below the end
of the tubing.
6. Hang a hook weight on wire loop, record the mass of the weight (in grams) and
the volume of air (in cc) as indicated on the scale of the syringe.
7. Continue adding additional hook weights on the wire loop, recording the total
mass and volume of air after each addition. Gather data for as many masses as
possible.
8. After all of the weights are hung on the device, remove them one at a time in the
same order and record the volumes again. Use this data as trial #2.
9. Repeat this procedure for steps 6 and 7. Average the volume data and record in
the data table.
Data Table:
(EXAMPLE ONLY)
Mass
0g
Vol. Trial 1
(adding
mass)
Vol. Trial 2
(subtracting
mass)
Vol. Trial 3
(adding
mass)
Vol. Trial 4
(subtracting
mass)
Average
Data Interpretation:
Build two graphs:
Graph1- mass (x axis) (pressure) vs. volume (y axis) for all trials.
Graph 2 - 1/mass verses volume
Analysis:
1. As mass (pressure) is added to the syringe, what happens to the volume of gas in
the syringe?
2. Which graph shows a liner relationship? What does this say about the pressurevolume relationship?
3. Using the graph created, extrapolate the pressure of a mass greater than the
largest mass and interpolate the pressure of gas between two masses. Show all
work.
4. Using kinetic molecular theory write a paragraph describing your results.
Boyle’s Law Computer Activity
Follow instructions from your teacher to access and open the Gas Properties
Simulation. Or you can go to http://phet.colorado.edu/simulations/ and find the
simulation link in the “Chemistry” simulations.
Open the simulation.
Click on the “Measurement Tools” button. Click on the Ruler. This will cause a ruler
to appear. The rulers units are in nanometers (nm) but we are going to use the ruler
to give us an estimated measurement of volume. You will use the ruler to measure
the width of the box. We will then change the units of measurement to liters. For
example: initially the box should have a width of 6.6 nm which will be recorded in
your data table as 6.6 L (liters). When you are asked to change/measure the volume
of the box, use the ruler to do so.
What are the graduations on the ruler? (How much is each notch worth?)
________________________________________________________________________________
First, you need to add a gas to your container. Click on the handle of the pump, and
add ONE PUMPFUL of gas to your container. Locate the “Gas in Chamber” data on
the right.
How many gas particles did you add to your container? ____________
What type of gas did you add? ________________________________
Describe the motion of the particles:
_________________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
Boyle’s Law looks at the relationship between volume and pressure when there is a
constant temperature. You must set your container to constant temperature. Click
on the Temperature button in the ”Constant Perameters” on the upper right corner.
This will cause the temperature to automatically adjust to whatever the initial value
is set at.
Set your temperature to constant. What is the temperature of your box? _____________
You are going to adjust the volume of the container by clicking on the handle on the
left side of the container and dragging it to various widths.
Dramatically change the volume of the container to a smaller size. Initially, what
happens to the temperature of the box? ____________________________
What does the simulation automatically do to your container to achieve constant
temperature?
________________________________________________________________________________________
Change the gas to 100 molecules of the HEAVY species by manually setting this
in the right box.
According to the Kinetic Molecular Theory, what action causes pressure on the
inside of the container?
_______________________________________________________________________________________
Hypothesize: If you will make the container smaller, how will this affect the answer
to the previous question?
________________________________________________________________________________________
If you make it larger? ______________________________________________________________________
Fill in the following chart by selecting various Volumes. Measure the volume of the
container using the ruler.
Calculate the values as indicated in the other columns.
Trials
Volume (V)
Pressure (P)
Calculate k1 =
(PxV)
Calculate k2 =
P
V
Trial 1
2
3
4
5
6
Which variable did you control (independent)? ____________________________
Which variable is the dependent variable?
____________________________
Graph Pressure vs. Volume in the following graph. Use proper scaling. Label the
graph appropriately. Draw a curved line best connecting all of the points.
Looking at your data and graph, describe the relationship between volume and
pressure.
_______________________________________________________________________________________
As the volume gets larger, what happens to the pressure of the gas?
_______________________________________________________________________________________
Which value remains consistent in the data table?
k1
or
k2
This k-value is constant; the ratio between volume and temperature of any point on
the graph will be the same. Pick any two points from the graph or table:
Point #1
Point #2
V1 =
V2 =
P1 =
P2 =
Show the k-value calculation:
Write an equation for Boyles’s Law:
We can use this formula to predict the pressure (P2) or volume (V2) of any gas. Use
this formula to complete the following calculations. Show your work.
1. If a gas has a volume of 1.25 L and a pressure of 1.75 atm, what will the
pressure be if the volume is changed to 3.15 L?
2. If a gas has a volume of 3.67 L and a pressure of 790 mm Hg, what will the
pressure be if the volume is compressed to 2.12 L? What is the pressure in
atmospheres (atm)? Convert pressure units.
3. A container has a volume of 5.85 L and a pressure of 4.25 atm. What will the
volume be if the container’s pressure is changed to 2.75 atm?
4. A container has a volume of 2.79 L and a pressure of 5.97 atm. If the
pressure changes to 1460 mm Hg, what is the container’s new volume?
Convert pressure units.