Graham’s law states that the rates of effusion of two gases are inversely proportional to the square roots of their molar masses at the same temperature and pressure:

Effusion is the term used to describe the passage of a gas through a tiny orifice into an evacuated chamber, as shown in the figure below.

The rate of effusion measures the speed at which the gas travels through the tiny hole into a vacuum. Another term to remember for the test is diffusion. Diffusion is the term used to describe the spread of a gas throughout a space or throughout a second substance.