Boyle’s Law Examples in Real Life

1. Breathing
During respiration, our lungs make use of Boyle’s law. While inhaling, the
lungs are filled with air; therefore, they expand. The volume increases, hence
the pressure level goes down. Similarly, when the lungs are evacuated of air,
they shrink; therefore, the volume reduces and the pressure increases. The
change in pressure and volume is momentary and periodic in nature.

2. Inflating Tyres
Flat tyres lack proper shape and strength, which makes it difficult for a vehicle
to move properly. When air is pressed into flat tyres with the help of an air
pump, the air molecules get tightly packed. The more be air molecules present
in the tyre, the more will be the pressure exerted on the walls of the tyre.
Hence, inflating flat tyres is yet another example of Boyle’s law in real life.
3. Soda bottle
A soda bottle, filled with a mixture of carbon-di-oxide and water, is one of the
best examples to demonstrate Boyle’s law. When the soda can or bottle is
sealed, it is difficult to compress. This is because the air molecules present
inside the container are tightly packed and do not have space to move. When
the can or the bottle is opened, some of the air molecules escape, thereby
making space for the movement of air molecules and allowing the bottle to get
compressed. Here, the change in pressure as per the change in volume can be
clearly observed.

4. Working of a Syringe
A syringe is medical equipment that is used to insert or withdraw fluids. It
consists of a cylinder to contain the fluid and a plunger to vary the pressure.
When the plunger is pushed down, the volume of the fluid reduces, thereby
increasing the pressure. Similarly, on pulling up the plunger, the volume is
increased, and the pressure is reduced. Hence, the working of a syringe
depends on Boyle’s law.

5. Spray Paint
Spray paints work on the basis of Boyle’s law. A significant amount of
pressure is exerted by the paint molecules on the body of the can in which it is
contained. When the top of the can is pressed, the volume inside the can gets
reduced and the paint is thrown out with great pressure. Since the pressure has
an inverse relationship with the volume, Boyle’s law can be observed in action.

6. Spacesuits
Space does not consist of air or atmosphere. It has zero pressure as there is a
vacuum in space. As per Boyle’s law, when a pressurized gas enters a vacuum
region, it will expand infinitely. This is the reason why astronauts wear
specially designed spacesuits. In case the spacesuit of the astronaut gets
ruptured, the blood and the body fluids start to boil, and the astronaut gets
seriously injured.
7. Scuba Diving
One thing to keep in mind when a person goes underwater diving is that he
must balance the volume and pressure relationship to avoid getting sick or hurt.
When he/she enters or approaches the depth of the water body, he/she
experiences high pressure. The high pressure increases the solubility of gases
in the human blood. When he/she tends to ascend or move upwards, the
pressure begins to reduce, and the gases present in the blood begin to expand.
Hence, the diver must ascend at a slow rate to avoid any sort of injury. The
relation between pressure and volume indicates Boyle’s law.
Examples Of Charle’s Law In Real Life
1. Helium Balloon
If you have had the chance to go out on a chilly day, you might have noticed
that the balloon crumbles. However, if you take the balloon to a warm room, it
regains its shape. Why does this happen? This happens because the temperature
on a cold day is low, and, so, the volume decreases. Now, in accordance with
the Charle’s Law, as soon as you enter a warm room, the temperature
increases; with an increase in temperature, the volume also increases.
Therefore, the balloon goes back to its original shape.

2. Bakery
Charle’s Law finds its way into our kitchens as well. In case you have ever
tried your hand at baking, you might be familiar with the substance most
commonly used in cooking, i.e., the yeast. Yeast is often used in baking to
make the bakery products fluffy. Yeast is responsible for releasing carbon
dioxide bubbles. These
carbon dioxide bubbles
expand further with
high temperature. The
expansion of the carbon
dioxide bubbles with an
increase in temperature
works as a leavening
agent and cause the
bakery products to
become fluffy.
3. Hot Air Balloon
You might have wondered about the working of the hot air balloon. Charle’s
Law describes that temperature and volume are directly proportional to each
other. When a gas is heated, it expands. As the expansion of the gas takes
place, it becomes
less dense and the
balloon is lifted in
the air. The warm
is less dense than
the cold air, which
means that it is
lighter than the
cold air. Also, the
warm air has less
mass per unit
volume.

4. Turkey Timer
The working of the Pop-Up Turkey Timer (Thermometer) is also based on
Charle’s law. Let’s see how! If you remember what the Charle’s law states,
you might be familiar with the fact that gases expand when heated. The same
principle applies to the Pop-Up Turkey Timer. The thermometer (or timer) is
placed inside the
turkey. As the
temperature
increases and the
turkey cooks, the
gas inside the
thermometer also
expands. As soon as
the timer pops, it
indicates that the
turkey has been
cooked.
5. Deodorant Spray Bottle
If you get a chance to read the
instructions on a bottle of deodorant, you
might have read the warning signs
indicating the bottle to be kept away
from the sunlight and high temperature.
Ever wondered why? The answer lies in
Charle’s Law. Under high temperatures,
the air molecules inside the bottle will
expand which can lead to the bursting of
the deodorant bottle.

6. Ping Pong Ball

In case you play Ping Pong, chances are that you might have frequently come
across a dented Ping Pong ball. How have you troubleshot such situation? You
might have let your Ping Pong ball float on warm water for some time. Have
you ever wondered why you do so? When you let your ball float on hot water,
the temperature
of the air inside
the ball also
increases;
which, in turn,
leads to an
increase in the
volume of the
gas. Therefore,
the shape of the
ball is restored.
7. Tyre
In cold weather, you might have regularly kept a check on the pressure of the
tyres of your car. Driving increases the temperature of the tyres, and, therefore,
the air inside the tyre warms and expands. When you measure the pressure of
the tyres at the time when you have just driven the car, it will be high.
However, in cold weather, the pressure of the tyres will be low. So, it is
recommended that you should always measure the pressure of the tyres.

8. Basketball

Most of you might have observed that a basketball when left outside on a cold
winter night shrinks in
size. As the temperature
decreases, so do the
volume of the gas inside
the basketball. This forms
the example that at
constant pressure, a
decrease in pressure will
lead to a decrease in
volume. However, the
basketball gains its
volume back when the
environment is changed,
i.e., you bring it in a
warm room.
9. Pool Float
The pool floats forms yet another
real-life example of Charle’s Law.
You might have observed that after
you inflate a pool float and push it
into the pool, it seems a bit under-
inflated. This is not because of any
leak in the float. However, this
happens because the temperature of
the water in the pool is low, which
reduces the volume of the air inside.

10. Automotive Engine

The power strokes of spark-ignition and compression-ignition also work in

accordance with Charle’s Law. In spark ignition, gases from the very process
of combustion are exposed to high temperature. An increase in temperature
will lead to an increase in the volume of the gases. As this process continues,
the force against the cylinder and piston head is increased, which causes
rotation of the crankshaft. In diesel engines involving the process of
compression ignition, the air is compressed under high temperature. This
heated air combines with diesel fuel which is injected into the cylinder. The
aforesaid process is responsible for the ignition of the diesel fuel.
Examples of Gay-Lussac’s Law
A pressurised gas like an aerosol can of deodorant or spray paint when heated
results in an increase in the
pressure exerted by a gas on
the container walls that can
result in an explosion. This is
the main reason for which
pressurised gas containers
have been warned to be kept
in a cool environment and
away from fire.

Heating of pressurized containers can result in an explosion

The best and most common example of Gay-Lussac’s law can be observed in a
pressure cooker. When the
cooker is heated, the pressure
inside it increases and this high
pressure and temperature
cooks food faster. The picture
below illustrates the process
when there is an increase in the
absolute temperature of the gas
at constant mass and volume.

The air pressure within the tires changes as you drive a car? The air pressure in
a car’s tires rises after driving. The air inside the tires heats up due to friction (a
contact force) between the tires and the road. Because the tires are essentially a
fixed-volume container, the air cannot expand; hence the pressure raises —
Gay Lussac’s Law