What does the ideal gas law (PV = nRT) express about gas behavior?

The ideal gas law, represented by the equation PV = nRT, describes the relationship between pressure (P), volume (V), temperature (T), and the number of moles (n) of a gas, with R being the universal gas constant. The equation indicates that if you increase the temperature of a gas while keeping the volume constant, the pressure will increase. Similarly, if you decrease the volume of a gas while maintaining a constant temperature, the pressure will also increase. This behavior is a direct result of the relationship between the kinetic energy of the gas particles (which correlates with temperature) and the space they occupy (volume).

Thus, the understanding that increasing temperature or decreasing volume leads to an increase in pressure demonstrates the interconnectedness of these variables in the behavior of gases under the conditions defined by the ideal gas law. This relationship is fundamental in many applications, such as calculating behaviors in thermodynamic processes and understanding how gases react to changes in their environment.