For Students · Van der Waals Gas
Van der Waals Gas for a battery cell
Built for students learning it for a class or exam. See the concept move instead of memorizing formulas — and check your homework intuition. Simulate a battery cell live below — adjust the inputs and watch it respond, right in your browser.
Van der Waals Real GasLive
where the ideal gas law breaks
Controls
Presets
Real gases deviate from PV = nRT because molecules attract each other (the a term) and occupy volume (the b term). Van der Waals adds both corrections, and below the critical temperature the isotherm even loops — predicting condensation. Educational tool.
Data Inspector
P at V=0.3 L (vdW)86.4 bar
P at V=0.3 L (ideal)88.7 bar
Deviation-3%
Governing equation
Reading this result: At 320 K the a and b corrections nearly cancel, so the real gas tracks the ideal-gas law to within 3%.
Runs locally in your browser — free forever. Scale to the cloud when reality gets heavy.
Also for:ResearchersEducatorsEngineersHobbyists & MakersK-12 StudentsFirst RespondersGeneral version →
More with Van der Waals Gas
Frequently asked questions
- Is this good for students?
- Yes — this version of "Van der Waals Gas for a battery cell" is framed for students learning it for a class or exam. See the concept move instead of memorizing formulas — and check your homework intuition.
- Do I need to install anything?
- No. It runs in any modern browser, free, with no account required.