According to Dalton's Law, how is the total pressure of a mixture of gases determined?

Dalton's Law states that in a mixture of non-reacting gases, the total pressure exerted by the mixture is equal to the sum of the partial pressures of each individual gas present in that mixture. This principle is based on the idea that each gas in a mixture behaves independently and contributes to the overall pressure, regardless of the presence of other gases.

In practical terms, if you have several gases in a container, each with its own pressure (known as its partial pressure), the total pressure in the container can be calculated by simply adding those partial pressures together. This means that if Gas A has a partial pressure of 3 atm, Gas B has a partial pressure of 2 atm, and Gas C has a partial pressure of 1 atm, the total pressure would be 3 atm + 2 atm + 1 atm = 6 atm.

This fundamental understanding is critical in fields related to thermodynamics and fluid dynamics, as it allows engineers and scientists to accurately predict and control the behavior of gas mixtures under various conditions.