We propose an alternative way to verify Boyle's law. Our procedure uses only measurable quantities such as manometric pressure and the variation in the volume of the gas, in a setup consisting of a syringe connected to a manometer. Using simple algebra one can obtain a linear relation between the inverse of these variables. A linear fit of the experimental data provides estimates of the absolute pressure and the total volume (syringe plus hose), quantities that cannot be measured directly in this case. It therefore makes sense to verify the compatibility of the data with the linear expression representing Boyle's law, rather than introducing values for the initial absolute pressure and the total volume, which would have to be obtained in separate experiments.
physics education; Boyle's law; experimentation
