For an ideal gas undergoing an isothermal process, what happens as the volume increases?
A) The pressure decreases in direct proportion
B) The pressure increases in direct proportion
C) The pressure remains unchanged
D) The temperature increases
E) The pressure decreases in inverse proportion
IMAT 2026 · Question 46
Q46 - Ideal gas laws
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The correct answer is E) The pressure decreases in inverse proportion.
Boyle’s law: at constant temperature, p × V = constant. If the volume doubles, the pressure halves; if the volume triples, the pressure falls to one third. That is inverse proportion.
A) Incorrect: Direct proportion would mean p/V stays constant. In Boyle’s law it is the product p × V that stays constant.
B) Incorrect: The pressure falls when the volume increases, it does not rise.
C) Incorrect: Constant pressure describes an isobaric process, not an isothermal one.
D) Incorrect: “Isothermal” means the temperature stays constant.
E) Correct: p = constant/V: inverse proportion.
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