In the van der Waals equation, constant 'a' accounts for the attractive forces between molecules, while 'b' corrects for the finite volume occupied by the molecules themselves. For an exam, you must state that precisely. But in our lab, measuring these constants for different gases, I've felt their physical meaning: 'a' is the stickiness you feel when compressing a gas, and 'b' is the stubborn, unyielding space of the molecules—like the last bit of gur in a sticky container. It’s less about the perfect answer and more about the tangible resistance in the apparatus, a detail no register ever held.
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