What Is the Ideal Gas Law Definition and Equation

The ideal gas law is also known as the general gas equation. It is an equation of state of an ideal gas that relates pressure, volume, quantity of gas, and temperature. While the law describes the behavior of a hypothetical gas, it approximates the behavior of real gases in many situations. The law was first stated by Émile Clapeyron in 1834. The law combines Boyles law, Avogadros law, Gay-Lussacs law, and Charles law. Equation The ideal gas law is the relationship described by the equation PV nRT where P is pressure, V is volume, n is the number of moles of an ideal gas, R is the ideal gas constant, and T is the temperature. Sources Clapeyron, E. (1834). MÃ ©moire sur la puissance motrice de la chaleur. Journal de lÉcole Polytechnique (in French). XIV: 153–90.Davis; Masten (2002). Principles of Environmental Engineering and Science. New York: McGraw-Hill. ISBN 0-07-235053-9.