What principle explains the risk of gas expansion in the context of a bowel obstruction?

The correct answer is based on Boyle's law, which states that the pressure of a gas is inversely proportional to its volume when the temperature is held constant. In the context of a bowel obstruction, gas accumulates in the obstructed area, leading to an increase in pressure as the volume of the gas remains the same or decreases due to the obstruction.

If a bowel obstruction occurs, the trapped gas cannot escape, and as the gastrointestinal tract distends, the pressure within can rise significantly. Understanding Boyle's law helps to explain this phenomenon: as the volume available for the gas decreases due to distension, the pressure within that confined space increases, potentially leading to complications such as perforation or ischemia of the bowel wall.

Other principles like Archimedes' principle pertain to buoyancy in fluids, Newton's law focuses on motion and forces, and Charles's law relates to the relationship between gas volume and temperature rather than pressure. Only Boyle's law directly addresses how gas behaves under conditions of confinement and the impact of volume changes on pressure, making it the most relevant principle to understand the risks associated with gas expansion in bowel obstruction cases.