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The 'van der Waals equation is an equation of state in thermodynamics relating the physical quantities pressure, volume, temperature, and van der Waals forces in a gas.

The law

The van der Waals equation states: \[(P-\alpha\frac{n^2}{V^2})(V-\beta n)=nRT\] where $\alpha$ and $\beta$ are dependent on the gas, $V$ is the volume, $P$ is the pressure, $n$ is the number of moles of gas, $R$ is the universal gas constant, $T$ is the temperature.

The van der Waals equation is useful for high-pressure gases where the ideal gas law is inaccurate.

See also

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