Britannica Sources used in this answer

What do the letters in the equation PV = nRT represent?

Created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.

The equation $P V = n R T$ is known as the ideal gas law, which describes the relationship between the state variables of a gas. The letters in the equation represent the following:

P: Pressure of the gas.12
V: Volume occupied by the gas.13
n: Number of moles of the gas.13
R: Universal gas constant, which has a value of approximately 8.314 joules per mole-kelvin.12
T: Absolute temperature of the gas, measured in kelvin.13

This equation serves as an equation of state that accurately describes the behavior of dilute gases under conditions of high temperature and low pressure.13