Charles's law predicts that a gas cooled at constant pressure would reach zero volume at
- A. 0 degrees C
- B. -100 degrees C
- C. -273.15 degrees C
- D. -373 degrees C
Explanation
Extrapolating the straight line of volume against temperature backwards, every gas reaches zero volume at minus 273.15 degrees Celsius, which is defined as absolute zero or 0 K. The extrapolation is theoretical, since every real gas liquefies well before that point. This is precisely why the Kelvin scale exists and why gas law calculations must use it.