Product Design, Manufacturing & Innovation Resources
Home » Boyle’s Law

Boyle’s Law

1650
  • Robert Boyle
  • Edme Mariotte
Laboratory setup demonstrating Boyle's Law with a syringe and pressure gauge.

(generated image for illustration only)

Boyle’s Law states that for a fixed amount of an ideal gas kept at a fixed temperature, the pressure (\(P\)) and volume (\(V\)) are inversely proportional. This means their product is a constant (\(k\)). Mathematically, it is expressed as \(P \propto \frac{1}{V}\) or \(PV = k\).

Boyle’s Law, published by Robert Boyle in 1662, describes the relationship between the pressure and volume of a gas at constant temperature and quantity. Boyle conducted experiments using a J-shaped glass tube, trapping a fixed amount of air and varying the pressure by adding mercury. He observed that as he increased the pressure on the gas, its volume decreased proportionally. This inverse relationship is mathematically stated as \(P \propto 1/V\), or more commonly, \(P_1V_1 = P_2V_2\) for a given mass of gas undergoing an isothermal (constant temperature) process.

The French physicist Edme Mariotte discovered the same law independently around 1679, which is why it is often referred to as Mariotte’s law in French-speaking countries. Boyle’s law was a crucial step in the development of the atomic theory of matter and the kinetic theory of gases. It provided the first quantitative relationship describing gas behavior, suggesting that gases are composed of tiny particles with large amounts of empty space between them. Compressing the gas reduces this empty space, thereby increasing the frequency of particle collisions with the container walls, which is perceived as an increase in pressure. It is one of the fundamental empirical laws that were later combined to form the ideal gas law.

UNESCO Nomenclature: 2210
– Thermodynamics

Type

Abstract System

Disruption

Substantial

Usage

Widespread Use

Precursors

  • Invention of the vacuum pump by Otto von Guericke
  • Development of the barometer by Evangelista Torricelli
  • Early concepts of atmospheric pressure

Applications

  • syringes and hydraulic systems
  • breathing mechanics (diaphragm action)
  • scuba diving (pressure effects on air tanks)
  • inflation of tires
  • operation of piston engines

Patents:

NA

Potential Innovations Ideas

Due to scrapping bot traffic, currently more than 40k per day, this content is reserved to community members.
> Login < or > Register < (100% free) to access this, so as all other restricted content and tools.

Related to: Boyle’s law, pressure, volume, isothermal process, gas law, inverse proportion, constant temperature, Robert Boyle, edme mariotte, ideal gas.

Historical Context

Boyle’s Law

1650
1650
1672
1687
1687
1738
1750
1600
1650
1650
1678
1687
1687
1738
1750

(if date is unknown or not relevant, e.g. "fluid mechanics", a rounded estimation of its notable emergence is provided)

Related Invention, Innovation & Technical Principles

Full size images and downloads are only available, 100% free, for registered members.

> Login <