Ideal Gas Equation Lab Report

On January 18, 2015, the New England Patriots and the Indianapolis Colts played in the AFC Championship game in a chilly temperature of 51°F. The Patriots were accused of cheating when, at half time, 11 of their 12 game balls were found to be two pounds psi less than the regulation size of 12.5 to 13.5 psi. Although the balls are gauged 2 hours and 15 minutes prior to the game, they are returned to the teams before the game started. Based on extensive research and data, the Patriots’ balls were tampered with prior to the game. Objects with gaseous interiors have a tendency to decrease in pressure when exposed to cold temperatures but the decrease will only be minor.

At the deflate gate game, the pressure of the ball in the 70°F (21 °C) locker room was 12.5 psi. To find what the pressure would have dropped to once the ball reached the field, the Ideal Gas Equation had to be used. First the temperatures had to be converted to Kelvin to be used in the equation. Using the equation [(5/9(F-32))-273.15], it was found that the locker room was 294.26 K while the field was 283.71 K. Through calculations, it was found that the pressure should have been 12.05 psi when the balls hit the field at the temperature of 51°F (10.5 °C).

Using the given temperature of 70°F and pressure of 12.5 psi for the locker room, it was calculated that the pressure of the ball would be 10.5 psi, causing a decrease in pressure of 2 psi. At the Freezer Bowl, the 1981 AFC Championship game was played in -9°F (-22.78°C) weather. It was calculated that the projected pressure was 10.6 psi during the game. Comparing these two games to the 2015 AFC Championship, it shows that the decrease in pressure is unlikely for such a small decrease in temperature from the locker room to the field but other factors can play a part in the decrease at the deflate gate