Why Does Heating a Flask Change Its Weight?

Click For Summary
SUMMARY

Heating a glass flask results in a slight decrease in its weight due to the principles of buoyancy and thermal expansion. When heated, the air inside the flask expands, causing a minor reduction in density and leading to a decrease in the overall weight measured. In a sealed flask with no air, the weight remains unchanged, as the mass of the flask itself does not alter. The ideal gas law indicates that while the ratio of mass to volume changes, the mass itself does not decrease with temperature.

PREREQUISITES
  • Understanding of the ideal gas law
  • Basic principles of buoyancy
  • Knowledge of thermal expansion
  • Familiarity with mass and weight concepts
NEXT STEPS
  • Explore the principles of buoyancy in fluids
  • Research thermal expansion effects on different materials
  • Study the ideal gas law in detail, focusing on its applications
  • Investigate the relationship between temperature and density in gases
USEFUL FOR

Students in physics or chemistry, educators teaching gas laws, and anyone interested in the effects of temperature on physical properties of materials.

qrt388
Messages
2
Reaction score
0
If you heat up a glass flask why will the weight of the flask decrease slightly?

The lab we're doing deals with the ideal gas law, so maybe it has to do with the mass being inversely proportional to the temperature? Or is there another reason?

Also, what would happen if you heat up a flask with no air in it that's sealed off from the outside (so inside the flask is like a vacuum)? Would the mass decrease?
 
Physics news on Phys.org
What do you think? Why on Earth do you think the weight of the flask will decrease, even slightly? The ideal gas law doesn't say mass will decrease. It says the ratio of mass to volume will decrease under constant pressure.
 
Last edited:

Similar threads

Is the mass of Liquid N2 and its rate of mass loss related?
  • · Replies 10 ·
Replies
10
Views
2K
Undergrad Pressure: Sealed bottle physics
  • · Replies 29 ·
Replies
29
Views
5K
Why does this question make this simplifying assumption?
  • · Replies 8 ·
Replies
8
Views
1K
High School Density of air experiment, why it yields these answers?
  • · Replies 20 ·
Replies
20
Views
3K
Why does the gas with the smallest molar mass have the highest pressure?
  • · Replies 8 ·
Replies
8
Views
3K
Do you need to account for the water heating up to the boiling point?
  • · Replies 23 ·
Replies
23
Views
3K
How does the rise in temperature of fuse wire depend upon its radius?
  • · Replies 12 ·
Replies
12
Views
2K
Pressure Law - question about experiment apparatus
  • · Replies 2 ·
Replies
2
Views
19K
Thermal Dynamics- heating gas in a flask.
  • · Replies 6 ·
Replies
6
Views
5K
Why do we store open bottles of hydrogen mouth down?
  • · Replies 3 ·
Replies
3
Views
3K