Which experiment would best investigate the effect temperature has on the volume of a gas, assuming pressure is kept constant?

• A. Cool a gas in a rigid, fixed-volume container and measure the change in pressure.
• B. Compress a gas in a cylinder by increasing the pressure and measure the change in volume.
• C. Add more gas to a fixed-volume container and measure the change in pressure.
• D. Heat a sealed syringe containing air while keeping the pressure constant and measure the change in volume.

Answer: (D)

Verified step by step guidance

1. Identify the gas law that relates temperature, volume, and pressure. Since pressure is constant, Charles's Law applies, which states that volume is directly proportional to temperature: \(V \propto T\) (at constant pressure).
2. Understand that to investigate the effect of temperature on volume, you must vary temperature and measure volume while keeping pressure constant.
3. Evaluate each experimental setup: cooling a gas in a fixed-volume container changes pressure, compressing a gas changes pressure and volume but not temperature independently, adding gas changes pressure, so these do not isolate temperature and volume at constant pressure.
4. Recognize that heating a sealed syringe allows the volume to expand or contract freely while maintaining constant pressure, making it ideal to observe how volume changes with temperature.
5. Conclude that the best experiment is to heat a sealed syringe containing air, keep pressure constant, and measure the volume change to directly study the temperature-volume relationship.