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Physical Sciences
Thermodynamics
1834
Beginner

Ideal Gas Law

PV=nRTPV = nRT

Pressure times volume equals amount of gas times constant times temperature.

By Benoît Clapeyron, Various

Physical Sciences
Ideal Gas Law
1834 · Benoît Clapeyron
Classroom Ready
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Why it matters: Foundation of chemistry, meteorology, and chemical engineering.

Discoverers: Benoît Clapeyron, Various (1834)

What does it mean?

Pressure times volume equals amount of gas times constant times temperature.

Why should I care?

Foundation of chemistry, meteorology, and chemical engineering.

Equation Compass

North — Prerequisites

West — History

South — Derivations

Variables & Units

SymbolNameUnitMeaning
PPPressurePaGas pressure
VVVolumeContainer volume
nnAmountmolMoles of gas
TTTemperatureKAbsolute temperature
RRGas constant8.314 J/(mol·K)

Worked Example

1 mol at STP: PV = 8.314 × 273.15 ≈ 22.4 L·atm.

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Ideal Gas Law

PV=nRTPV = nRT

Real-world impact

Engineering & climate

Fluid models power transport and forecasting.

Photo: Unsplash — aircraft

Pressure times volume equals amount of gas times constant times temperature.

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