The ideal gas constant R, derived from PV = nRT, is approximately what value in SI units?

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Multiple Choice

The ideal gas constant R, derived from PV = nRT, is approximately what value in SI units?

Explanation:
PV = nRT shows how pressure, volume, amount of substance, and temperature are tied together by a constant. In SI units, pressure is in pascals and volume in cubic meters, so the left side has units of joules. The right side is n times R times T, with n in moles and T in kelvin, so R must carry units of joules per mole per kelvin. The value that makes the equation consistent in SI is about 8.314 J/(mol·K). This is commonly rounded to 8.31 or 8.2 for rough work. The other numbers come from using different unit systems or are off by factors when kept in SI units, so the SI value is the one that matches the equation with standard SI units.

PV = nRT shows how pressure, volume, amount of substance, and temperature are tied together by a constant. In SI units, pressure is in pascals and volume in cubic meters, so the left side has units of joules. The right side is n times R times T, with n in moles and T in kelvin, so R must carry units of joules per mole per kelvin. The value that makes the equation consistent in SI is about 8.314 J/(mol·K). This is commonly rounded to 8.31 or 8.2 for rough work. The other numbers come from using different unit systems or are off by factors when kept in SI units, so the SI value is the one that matches the equation with standard SI units.

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