Proportionalities:
Mathematically, two variables are said to be proportional if there is a constant ratio between them.
Directly proportional: When both variables change in the same direction
Ex. The more I eat, the more I weigh. The less I eat, the less I weigh.
Indirectly or inversely proportional: When one variable changes in the opposite direction of the other.
Ex. The more I exercise, the less I weigh.
Proportionalities and the Gas Laws:
Ideal gases follow these trends:
- Volume is directly proportional to amount.
- Volume is directly proportional to absolute temperature.
- Volume is inversely proportional to pressure.
- Equal volumes of all gases at the same temperature and pressure contain the same number of moles.
From these trends we derive the gas laws!