[Physics] How much force is required to compress air

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How much force (Newtons) is required to compress normal air in a chamber to 2 atm?
For example, if I had a sealed piston pump, how much force would need to be exerted in order for the air to be compressed to 2 atm?

Also, a side note, if I were to compress air from 1 atm to 2 atm, would this have the total volume?

Best Answer

The state from $1\text{ atm}$ to $2\text{ atm}$ is normally called decompression or contraction. An equation you can use going from one state to the next is: $$\frac{P_1V_1}{T_1}=\frac{P_2V_2}{T_2}$$ Where $P$ is pressure, $V$ is volume and $T$ is temperature. Now if you want to calculate the force you have to know the surface area of what you are (de)compressing. The equation relating force and pressure is: $P=F/A$, where $A$ is surface area.

Finally, keep in mind that you probably have to take into account outside pressure as well, because this has a substantial influence.

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