Which of the following changes is most likely to result in an increase in the volume of a gas, assuming all other variables are held constant?

• A. Decreasing the temperature of the gas
• B. Increasing the temperature of the gas
• C. Increasing the pressure on the gas
• D. Decreasing the amount of gas (number of moles)

Answer: (B)

Verified step by step guidance

1. Recall the Ideal Gas Law, which relates pressure (P), volume (V), temperature (T), and amount of gas in moles (n): \(P \times V = n \times R \times T\), where \(R\) is the gas constant.
2. Understand that if all other variables are held constant, the volume of a gas is directly proportional to its temperature (in Kelvin). This means that increasing temperature tends to increase volume.
3. Analyze the effect of decreasing temperature: since volume is directly proportional to temperature, decreasing temperature would decrease volume, not increase it.
4. Consider the effect of increasing pressure: according to the Ideal Gas Law, increasing pressure while keeping other variables constant would decrease volume (inverse relationship between pressure and volume).
5. Evaluate the effect of decreasing the amount of gas (number of moles): since volume is directly proportional to the number of moles, decreasing moles would decrease volume.