Adiabatic/Isothermal process

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In summary: The gas does work, but the amount of work done is unknown. The final temperature is also unknown. If instead the gas were to expand isothermally to 10m cubed, the amount of work done would also be unknown. In this case, the energy for performing the work would come from the change in internal energy of the gas. The equation for work can be used to find the initial pressure of the gas, and the relationship between pressure and volume in an adiabatic process involving a monatomic gas can be
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bio87
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Hi people!
So i have a homework question that i am stuck on!

Four moles of an ideal monatomic gas undergoes an adiabatic expansion from intial volume of 1m cubed and a temperature of 300k to a final volume of 10m cubed. a) How much wrk is done by the gas ? b) what is the final temperature? c) If instead the gas expands isothermally to 10m cubed, how much work is done? d) In part C where does the energy come from to perform the work? ...thats a lot!

I thought of using the equation of work W(by)= 1/(1-gamma) x (PfVf-PiVi) to fnd the answer for a...but I don't have the pressure..:rolleyes: then i thought that maybe I could use deltaE= Q(in) - W (by)...but I don't know the change in temperature, therefore; I am all over the place and I don't know where to start.. any hints/help would be appreciated! Thanks
 
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With the information you were given, you can find the initial pressure of the gas.
 
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bio87 said:
I thought of using the equation of work W(by)= 1/(1-gamma) x (PfVf-PiVi) to fnd the answer for a...but I don't have the pressure..:rolleyes:
First work out the initial pressure, which is easy since you are given n,Ti and Vi.
What is the relationship between P and V in an adiabatic expansion/compression? (hint: it involves [itex]\gamma[/itex]). That will give you the final pressure and, if you know n, Vf and Pf you can determine Tf.

AM
 

1. What is an adiabatic process?

An adiabatic process is a thermodynamic process in which there is no transfer of heat between the system and its surroundings. This means that the process occurs without any external heat input or output, and the change in internal energy is equal to the work done on the system.

2. How is an adiabatic process different from an isothermal process?

An isothermal process is a thermodynamic process in which the temperature of the system remains constant throughout the process. In contrast, an adiabatic process does not necessarily have a constant temperature, but rather a constant internal energy.

3. What are the applications of adiabatic and isothermal processes?

Adiabatic and isothermal processes are used in various industries and technologies, such as refrigeration, gas compression, and engine operation. These processes are also important in understanding the behavior of gases and the principles of thermodynamics.

4. How does the first law of thermodynamics apply to adiabatic and isothermal processes?

The first law of thermodynamics states that energy cannot be created or destroyed, only transferred or converted. In adiabatic processes, there is no transfer of heat, so all energy change is in the form of work. In isothermal processes, the energy change is due to heat transfer, but the total energy of the system remains constant.

5. Are there any real-life examples of adiabatic and isothermal processes?

Yes, examples of adiabatic processes include the compression and expansion of gases in car engines and the compression of air in a bicycle pump. Examples of isothermal processes include the expansion of a gas in a refrigerator and the combustion of fuel in an engine when the temperature is kept constant by a cooling system.

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