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20 cm³ of air is drawn into a syringe - Junior Cycle Science - Question c - 2015
Question c
20 cm³ of air is drawn into a syringe. The tip is covered, as in the diagram, and the piston is pushed in to the 10 cm³ mark. (i) What property of gases is being de... show full transcript
Worked Solution & Example Answer:20 cm³ of air is drawn into a syringe - Junior Cycle Science - Question c - 2015
Step 1
What property of gases is being demonstrated here?
Answer
The property being demonstrated is that gases can be compressed. When the piston is pushed into the syringe, the volume of the air inside decreases from 20 cm³ to 10 cm³, illustrating that gases have the ability to change volume when pressure is applied.
Step 2
Explain why the piston could not be pushed in if the syringe had been filled with water instead of air.
Answer
If the syringe were filled with water instead of air, the piston could not be pushed in because liquids are incompressible. Unlike gases, liquids maintain a fixed volume and do not change volume under pressure, therefore the water would resist any force applied to the piston.