Gas Pressure Experiment: Exploring Gay-Lussac's Law

What happens to the pressure inside a closed flask when it is cooled?

Is it lower, higher, or the same as before cooling?

Answer:

The pressure inside the cold closed flask is lower than before cooling.

When a closed flask is cooled, the pressure inside decreases according to Gay-Lussac's Law. This law states that the pressure of a gas is directly proportional to its temperature when the volume and the amount of gas are constant.

In the described experiment, the pressure inside the cold closed flask is now lower than it was before cooling. This is because, as the flask is cooled, the temperature of the gas inside decreases. With the volume of the flask constant and it being sealed, there is no exchange of gas with the environment. As a result, the pressure exerted by the gas particles on the inside walls of the flask decreases.

The cooling of the gas leads to a decrease in the kinetic energy of the gas particles, causing less frequent and forceful collisions with the walls of the flask, subsequently resulting in a decrease in pressure.