Kinetic particle model of matter

A gas is heated inside a container with a fixed volume. What effect does this have on the gas molecules?

May/June 2016

A fixed mass of gas changes in volume while its temperature remains constant. Which diagram shows how the gas pressure varies with volume?

May/June 2017

A constant amount of gas is contained in a cylinder fitted with a movable piston. At first, the gas has pressure $p_1$ and volume $V_1$. The temperature is maintained unchanged. The piston is then shifted so that the pressure changes to $p_2$ and the volume changes to $V_2$. Which equation is correct?

May/June 2017

A gas is trapped in a container with a constant volume. Heat energy is transferred to the gas from outside. What happens to the gas molecules?

May/June 2019

A closed gas syringe contains a constant mass of gas. The piston is shifted so that the gas volume becomes twice as large. The temperature of the gas remains unchanged. What happens to the pressure of the gas?

May/June 2021

Which graph represents the link between the pressure and the volume of a fixed mass of gas at constant temperature?

May/June 2021

Fig. 2.1 displays a freezer used to keep food frozen.

Oct/Nov 2015

A gas syringe holds a constant mass of air. The air has a volume of $240\,\text{cm}^3$ and a pressure of $5.0 \times 10^4\,\text{Pa}$. The air is then compressed slowly while the temperature is kept unchanged, until the pressure becomes $1.5 \times 10^5\,\text{Pa}$. What is the air’s final volume?

Oct/Nov 2017

Which graph represents the relationship between the pressure and the volume of a fixed mass of gas at constant temperature?

Oct/Nov 2019

A syringe that holds air is closed at one end, and the piston can move freely. The air is then heated. What happens to the average separation between the air molecules and to the density of the air?

Oct/Nov 2019

A block of aluminium is heated. What change occurs in the kinetic energy and in the potential energy of the molecules?

Oct/Nov 2020

A set quantity of gas is enclosed in a metal can. The gas temperature falls, but its volume stays constant. How does this alteration affect the kinetic energy of the gas molecules and the pressure in the metal can?

Oct/Nov 2021

Air is enclosed in a cylinder by means of a piston. The air has pressure $p$ and the air column has a length of $20\,\text{cm}$. The piston is pulled outwards. As a result, the length of the air column increases by $40\,\text{cm}$. The temperature of the air stays constant. What is the new air pressure?

Oct/Nov 2021

Air is enclosed in a cylinder by a piston. The air pressure is $p$ and the air column has a length of $20\,\text{cm}$. The piston is pulled outwards. As a result, the length of the air column increases by $40\,\text{cm}$. The temperature of the air stays constant. What is the new air pressure?

Oct/Nov 2021

Pot X and pot Y are both placed in a cool room. Pot X contains hot water, but its temperature is still below the boiling point. Pot Y is identical to pot X except that its water is kept boiling by a hotplate underneath it. What happens to the average kinetic energy of the particles in the liquid water in pot X and to the average kinetic energy of the particles in the liquid water in pot Y?

Oct/Nov 2023

Fig. 1.1 illustrates a toy water rocket. It is partly filled with water and linked to a pump by rubber tubing. The labels show: air pump, air, rocket, water, rubber tubing.

Oct/Nov 2023

A liquid seals air inside a glass tube. When the tube is placed horizontally, the trapped air has a length of $50\text{ mm}$ and a pressure of $1.0 \times 10^5\text{ Pa}$. When the tube is set upright with the closed end at the bottom, the trapped air length becomes $45\text{ mm}$. The temperature of the air stays constant. What is the pressure of the trapped air in the upright position?

Oct/Nov 2025