Question

An Irish natural philosopher, Robert Boyle, conducted experiments to verify properties of gases discovered by other scientists. Boyle's law mathematically describes the inversely proportional relationship between the absolute pressure and volume of a gas. This means that if the volume of a container of gas is decreased, the amount of pressure in that container will increase proportionally. This relationship is a (2 points)

Select one:
a. theory because it is a description based on mathematics.
b. theory because it describes a relationship without trying to explain it.
c. law because it describes how one variable affects another.
d. law because it is a description but not an explanation.

Answer 1

Answer:

c. Law, because it describes how one variable affects another  

Explanation:

A law enables you to predict what might happen if you do something. For example, you can use Boyle's Law to predict the volume of a gas if you double its pressure.

a and b are wrong, because a theory tries to explain why something happens.

d is wrong, because a law does not have to give an explanation.