In contrast to others definitions of this, the actual Boyle'
s law, commonly referred to as the Boyle-Mariotte Law (Mariotte's law in
France, describes the relationship between pressure and volume of a confined gas.
The equation is usually written as
PV = k where pressure multiplied by volume equals some constant k.
The law in simplest terms states that when the temperature of a given
mass of confined gas is constant, the product of its pressure and volume is also constant.
If boyle's law is comparing the same substance under
two different sets of conditions, the law can be expressed as P1V1 (1 being subscript), = P2V2 (2 being subscript). This means that as volume increases, the pressure fo a gas decreases proportionally, and vice versa.
Boyle's law can be applied, and is applied to divers. Such that if a diver takes a lung full of
air while they are underwater, that
air will expand in his lungs as he rises to the surface. If the diver holds his breath, or ascends too rapidly, such as comparable to a cork being opened in a quick
motion, the expanding
air can thereforth rupture his lungs. This is reason number one why exploring the
ocean can be dangerous, save
whatever creatures co-exist in the deep
blue. This law can be used in tandem with Charles' Law, Gay-Lussac's Law, Henry's Law, and Dalton's law.
Boyle's Law, Charles's Law, and Gay-Lussac's law form what is known as the Combined Gas Law, or the General Gas Equation.
