Heat and Expansion | Gases Data Lab | Virtual Science Teachers

Simulation: Gases Intro by PhET Interactive Simulations, University of Colorado Boulder, licensed under CC BY 4.0. Not loading? Open it in a new tab.

Lab question

How does the temperature of a gas affect how much space it takes up?

You change

Temperature (K)

Heat/Cool slider, bottom

You measure

Container width (nm)

Width ruler, under the container

Locked so they stay the same

Pressure Number of particles: 50 Kind of particle

How to collect data

The lab starts at 300 K. Record the temperature and the width.
Hold the Heat/Cool slider on Cool for a moment, then let go. Get close to each temperature: 250 K200 K150 K
Press the orange reset button to go back to 300 K. Then use Heat to get close to each temperature: 350 K400 K
At each stop, wait a few seconds for the walls to settle, then record the actual temperature and the width.
Graph your data and look for a pattern.