About
The Model
Our model is a model of the ideal gas law. The ideal gas law shows the behavior of gases based on pressure, temperature, the universal gas constant, the number of moles of gas, and the volume using the equation PV = nRT, where P is pressure, V is volume, n is the number of moles, R is the universal gas constant, and T is temperature.
By changing the parameters (area of the canvas, number of particles, particle speed) and recording data, the user of the website can observe how pressure (represented by the number of collisions between particles and the walls of the container) is related to the other parameters. For example, in the formula PV = nRT, the number of moles if doubled while the other variables are constant. The user can try to observe this relationship with our model by collecting data with 10 molecules, and then with 20 molecules (while keeping other parameters constant).
The Controls
In order for the model to function, we have included several buttons:
Play - allows the model to run
Data - allows the model to run and collect data for a certain amount of time
Pause - stops the particles from moving without resetting the model
Reset - stops the model from running and creates a new set of molecules
Step - moves the model one step forward and then stops
Save - saves the number of wall collisions and the other parameters from a trial
Clear - clears the canvas that displays data
Below the canvas that displays data, there are also inputs that allow the user
to modify the size of the canvas, the number of molecules, the time of data collection,
and the speed of molecules to simulate changes in volume, temperature, and moles.
Area - the area of the canvas represents the volume of the container that the gas is in. This input allows
the user to scale the canvas up and down. However, we are using 2-dimensional area in our model instead of 3-dimensional volume.
Number of molecules - the number of molecules represents the number of moles of gas, or the variable n. The user
can change the number of of molecules. Although we don't have as many molecules as there would normally be, the user can still try to show
that volume and the number of moles are proportional.
Speed of molecules - the speed of the molecules is related to the temperature, as temperature is the measure
of the average kinetic energy of the gas molecules. To control the Kinetic Energy of the model, this input is a way for the user
to change the speed, and therefore the kinetic energy/temperature of the model.
Sources
“Gas Temperature.” NASA, NASA, www.grc.nasa.gov/www/k-12/airplane/temptr.html.Jircitano, Alan J. “Gas Laws.” Gas Laws, chemistry.bd.psu.edu/jircitano/gases.html.
Summers, Vincent. “How to Calculate Velocity From Temperature.” Sciencing, 2 Mar. 2019, sciencing.com/calculate-velocity-temperature-6234001.html.