Spreadsheets in Education (eJSiE)

Volume 3
|
Issue 1 Article 2
8-8-2008
Te Boyles Law Simulator: A Dynamic Interactive
Visualization for Discovery Learning of
Experimental Error Analysis
Scot A. Sinex
ssinex@pgcc.edu
Follow this and additional works at: htp://epublications.bond.edu.au/ejsie
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Recommended Citation
Sinex, Scot A. (2008) "Te Boyles Law Simulator: A Dynamic Interactive Visualization for Discovery Learning of Experimental Error
Analysis," Spreadsheets in Education (eJSiE): Vol. 3: Iss. 1, Article 2.
Available at: htp://epublications.bond.edu.au/ejsie/vol3/iss1/2
Te Boyles Law Simulator: A Dynamic Interactive Visualization for
Discovery Learning of Experimental Error Analysis
Abstract
As a follow-up to the classic Boyles law experiment, students can investigate experimental error in the virtual
realm of a spreadsheet. Students engage in numerous higher-order thinking and science process skills as they
work through the simulation.
Keywords
Boyles Law, discovery learning, error analysis, simulation
Tis in the classroom article is available in Spreadsheets in Education (eJSiE): htp://epublications.bond.edu.au/ejsie/vol3/iss1/2

2008SpreadsheetsinEducation,BondUniversity Allrightsreserved.
TheBoylesLawSimulator:ADynamicInteractive
VisualizationforDiscoveryLearningofExperimental
ErrorAnalysis
ScottASinex
PrinceGeorgesCommunityCollege
ssinex@pgcc.edu
Abstract
AsafollowuptotheclassicBoyleslawexperiment,studentscaninvestigateexperimentalerrorin
thevirtualrealmofaspreadsheet.Studentsengageinnumeroushigherorderthinkingandscience
processskillsastheyworkthroughthesimulation.
Keywords:BoylesLaw,discoverylearning,erroranalysis,simulation,spreadsheet
1. Introduction
Boyles law relates the pressure (P) and volume (I) of a trapped amount of gas
(moles,n)atconstanttemperature(IinKelvin).Itisclassicallydemonstratedusinga
syringe connected to a pressure measuring device (gauge, probeware sensor) and
discussed in beginning chemistry and physics courses [2, 3, 8]. From the
mathematicalpointofview,Boyleslawillustratesapowerlawoftheformy = ox
b

whereodependsonexperimentalconditionsandbis1.Thisistypicallydiscovered
by students from the graphical analysis of the collected data using PI = k or
P = kI where k is a constant. In the Boyles Law Simulator, instructors can
enhance the typical Boyles law experience to have students understand why the
trapped amount of gas and temperature must remain constant to see the PI
relationship and determine how other experimental errors can influence the results.
ThisarticleoutlinestheconceptofconstructinganinteractiveExcelspreadsheetand
thetypeofquestionstoprobetheerroranalysis.
2. DevelopingtheLearningTool
An interactive Excel spreadsheet or Excelet has been developed as a discovery
learning tool to explore experimental error as a postlaboratory activity after
performing the Boyles law experiment. This Excelet is computationally based (no
macros or programming) with a number of interactive features from the forms
toolbar (usable on both PC and Mac platforms) [5]. A number of manipulable
variables (n, I, I
tubng
, and noisc octor) have been generated that influence the
calculationofthepressure,resultinggraph,andanycalculatedresultsincludingthe
regression. The interactive features are shown by the grey boxes in Figure 1. It is
recommended that the reader opens the accompanying Excelet and goes to the
simulation I tab. The wherewithal for creating Excelets can be found at the
DevelopersGuidetoExceletswebsite[6],whichincludestutorials,illustrated
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eJSiE3(1)2026 InTheClassroom 21

instructions, and many more examples plus materials to get students into
mathematical modeling of data. Students do not need a great deal of Excel
experience to use Excelets, as a short introduction to the use of the interactive
featuresandhowtoexploreavariablecangetthemgoing.
3. ImplementingtheDiscoveryLearningProcess
Discoverylearningisaccomplishedbythemodeofquestioningthataccompaniesthe
Boyles Law Simulator. Through numerical experimentation using a manipulable
variable,studentscanpredicttestanalyzehowthisvariableinfluencesthedataand
graph or any calculated parameters. This is the interactive dynamic feature of
Excelets.

Figure1InteractiveFeaturesonsimulationItab(highlightedingreyboxes)
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THEBOYLESLAWSIMULATOR
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Predict
How will increasing (decreasing) the variable
influence the data? Make your prediction and
sketchagraphofit
Test
Increase(decrease)thevalueofthevariable.
Analyze
What happened? Describe the change, if any, in
sound mathematical language. How did the result
compare to your prediction? This is the
interpretationandanalysis.

Here is a selection of possible questions (highlighted in blue italics) for students to

ponder.
Supposethesyringeleaksorthetemperaturechanges?Predictwhatyou
thinkwillhappenifthesyringeleaksandthendecreasetheamountofgas
and see how the graph responds. Describe the change compared to the
errorlesscondition.Nowrepeatforatemperaturechange.
WithintheBoylesLawSimulator,therearefourmanipulablevariables:theamount
oftrappedgas(inmoles)
nthetemperature(inKelvin),
Ithevolumeofthetubing,
I
tubng
andthenoisc octor(adjustedbymovingthescrollbar).
It is assumed that students have a basic knowledge of elementary mathematical
modeling of data (regression, goodnessoffit) [5]. To assist students in their
interpretation, a comparison graph with no error can be added to the graph via a
checkbox.Remindstudentstoexploreavariableoverawiderangeofvalues.Asthe
parameters are adjusted, how does the regression equation respond? Here students
needtopayattentiontotheo andbvaluesofy = ox
b
andthevalueofrsquaredas
well, which addresses goodnessoffit of the regression to the data. (Note: For the
power regression, the value of rsquared is actually calculated from the lnln
transformeddataandlinearregression.SeethesimulationItabandscrolldown.)
TheidealgaslawisPI = nRIwherePisthepressureinKiloPascals(kPa),Iisthe
volume in liters, n is moles, I is the Kelvin temperature, and R is the gas constant
(8.314 LkPamol1K1). Hence PI = k = nRI and a change in n or I will cause
similarshiftsinthecurveandchangesintheregressionresults.Inthesecomparisons
the rsquared value will not be influenced since the changes applies to all data
collected. If these changes occurred during the experiment, rsquared would be
influenced.Why?SeethesimulationIItabforaleakysyringethatstartstoleakata
volumeoflessthan13mL.
Now as can be seen from the above analysis, these changes are experimental in
nature and they influence the value of k in the results. Now lets examine true
experimental error assuming no leakage and constant temperature during the
experiment. We are reading the volume of gas trapped from the syringe; however,
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thereisasmallvolumeofgasinthetubingthatconnectsthesyringetothepressure
measuring device. This volume of tubing induces an error in the experiment. The
error can be minimized by keeping the length of tubing as short as possible and it
can be corrected by measuring it. The other problem is holding constant volume
undermanuallygeneratedpressure.
How does the volume of tubing influence the graph and regression
results?Howdoeskeepingthevolumeheldataconstantvalueinfluence
the results (at low volumes this is not easy is it!)? Is there any
fluctuationinthesyringepiston?
These two experimental errors are common in student results, especially if students
arenotcarefulwhilemakingmeasurements.Thesetwoerrorsinfluencetheoandb
valuesofy = ox
b
andthevalueofrsquaredaswell.Thevolumeoftubingerrorisa
systematic error which can be corrected for experimentally by measuring it. This is
donebytrappinggasinthetubeatatmosphericpressurewiththesyringesetatzero.
Ifyoupullbackonthesyringeuntilthepressureishalfitsinitialreading,thevolume
on the syringe is the volume of gas in the tubing (PI = k = P2 - 2I and
I
tubng
= I
sngc
). If you keep the tubing short you can minimize this error and
avoid the correction. The correction is a nuisance to novice learners. To correct the
data the following must be done: I
cocctcd
= I
sngc
+ I
tubng
and then plot P vs
I
cocctcd
(see the volume of tubing tab for further information). Recently, Spencer
has proposed a plot of PI vs P, which is very sensitive to error and the linear
regressionyieldsboththevaluesofkandtheI
tubng
(shownonthesimulationIand
IItabs)[7].
Howdoyouknowthevolume
ofthetubingisasystematic
error?
Examinethekvsvolumeplot.Studentswouldobserve
a consistent shift in the k values from the errorless
valueofk.Formoreontypesoferrors,seeSinex[4].
Howdoyouknowthe
fluctuationofthepiston
causesarandomerror?
Thefluctuationofthepistoncausesarandomerrorin
the data since the variation can be a smaller or larger
volume. This added scatter in the data will naturally
influence the rsquared value. The added random
noisealsoinfluencestheoandbvaluesaswell.Thek
vsvolumeplotshowsascatterofthekvaluesaround
theerrorlessvalue.
Sinceresultscanyieldapowerthatappearstobeclose
toone(tubingvolumeerrorminimized),transformthe
datatoaplotofPasafunctionof1Ianddoalinear
regression to derive the k from the slope of this plot.
This can be compared to the mean k value from the
datapoints.
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THEBOYLESLAWSIMULATOR
24
Whatdeterminesthevalueof
kintheBoyleslaw
experiment?
Since k = nRI, it depends on the laboratory
temperature and the starting amount of air in the
syringe (volume set on syringe at atmospheric
pressure).
Students can now go back to their original experimental data and decide what
possibleerrorscouldbeinfluencingtheirresults.Thisisagreatmindsetforstudents
todevelop.Studentscanmakeacomparisonofkvaluesfromthevariousmethods
aswellandcomparetootherstudentgroups.
OnthefitwithSolvertab,studentscananalyzeactualexperimentaldatabyfittinga
rectangular hyperbola, y = k/x, to their data. The preset Solver adjusts the k to
minimize the sum of the squared errors. A plot of the residuals (error) is also
obtainedandforagoodfitshouldshowarandompattern.
Figure2TheAdditionofError(onthesimulationItab)
4. TheMechanicsoftheSimulation
The simulation uses this formula to calculate the pressure from the other variables:
P = n - R - I(I1uuu).SincethevalueofthegasconstantR=8.314L.kPa.mol1.K
1,wehavetoconvertthevolume,I,inmLtoLbydividingby1000.Wecanadjustn
andI(theheldconstantvariables)toseehowthecurveresponds.
To get the error into the equation, we modify the calculation in the formula to
include two additional terms as described in Figure 2. The use of the
NORMINV(probability, mean, standard deviation) function with the RAND()
functiongeneratesrandomnumberswithaGaussianornormaldistribution[1].With
the mean set to zero, both positive and negative values are produced. The noise
variableasthestandarddeviationthencontrolsthesizeofthenumbersgenerated.
FortheleakysyringeonthesimulationIItab,afactor(I6) isaddedthatvarieswith
pressure when the leak starts as P = n - I6 - 8.S14 - I(A61uuu). Look under the
graphfordetails.
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eJSiE3(1)2026 InTheClassroom 25

5. SomeFinalThoughts
This computationallybased simulation of Boyles law allows students to develop a
deeper understanding of a simple experiment. Novice learners can start developing
themindsettoconsidererrorindataanddiscoverhowerrorsinfluencedataandthe
resulting model. It allows a multivariable approach, while examining the
mathematics in a camouflaged manner. It supports the Rule of Four in
mathematics, where the numerical, graphical, symbolic, and verbal aspects are all
explored, allthewhile enriched by technology using a common spreadsheet
application. The use of interactive Excel spreadsheets or Excelets [5, 6] creates an
engaging pedagogy for learners. Instructors can generated their own questions and
modifytheinteractivespreadsheettomeetneedsoftheirstudents.
6. Acknowledgements
The author wishes to thank Barbara Gage of Prince Georges Community College,
Susan Ragan of the Maryland Virtual High School, and the comments from the
anonymousreviewers.
References
[1] Anonymous,(2008)HowtoGenerateRandomNumbersinExcelWorksheets,
MathWaveTechnologies,http://www.mathwave.com/articles/random
numbersexcelworksheets.html(accessedJune2008)
[2] Greenbowe,T.J.(2005)ChemistryExperimentSimulations,Tutorialsand
ConceptualComputerAnimationsforIntroductiontoCollegeChemistry(aka
GeneralChemistry)scrolldowntoGasLawsandBoylesLaw(theseare
interactiveFlashfilesthatopeninyourbrowser)
http://www.chem.iastate.edu/group/Greenbowe/sections/projectfolder/animati
onsindex.htm(accessedJuly2008)
[3] Lewis,D.L.(1997)ASimpleBoylesLawExperiment,J.Chem.Educ.74(2),209.
[4] Sinex,S.A.(2005)InvestigatingTypesofErrors,SpreadsheetsinEducation2(1)
115124.
[5] Sinex,S.A.(2007)Excelets:ExcelsExcellentAdventure,TechLearningEducators
eZineonline,3pp.
http://www.techlearning.com/story/showArticle.php?articleID=196604791
(accessedJuly2008)
[6] Sinex,S.A.(2008)DevelopersGuidetoExcelets:DynamicandInteractive
VisualizationwithJavalessAppletsorInteractiveExcelSpreadsheets,
http://academic.pgcc.edu/~ssinex/excelets(accessedJuly2008)
[7] Spencer,J.G.(2008)BoylesLaw:ALessoninExperimentDesignoraFailed
ExperimentMadeRight,ChemicalEducator13(1),1415.
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[8] Vernier(2000)BoylesLaw:PressureVolumeRelationshipinGases,Chemistry
withComputers,VernierSoftware&Technology,
www.westminster.edu/acad/sim/documents/SBoyleslaw.COMP.pdf(accessed
July2008)
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