Acceleration of a gas into a vacuum

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the behavior of gas as it flows into an infinite vacuum after the removal of a divider. Participants explore whether the acceleration of the gas increases, peaks, decreases, or remains constant during this process, focusing on theoretical implications and interpretations of gas dynamics in a vacuum.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Debate/contested
  • Conceptual clarification

Main Points Raised

  • Some participants question whether the gas increases in acceleration as it enters the vacuum, or if it remains constant or decreases over time.
  • One participant suggests that the flow of gas may slow down as the amount of gas in the chamber decreases, while also noting that the "pull" of the vacuum remains unchanged.
  • Another participant seeks clarification on the meaning of acceleration in this context, indicating a need for further explanation of the gas flow dynamics.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express differing views on the behavior of the gas flow, with no consensus reached regarding whether the acceleration increases, decreases, or remains constant.

Contextual Notes

Participants have not fully defined key terms such as "acceleration" and "flow speed," which may affect the clarity of the discussion. There are also unresolved assumptions regarding the nature of the vacuum and its interaction with the gas.

Ron Spencer
Set up: Gas on one side of a divider and an infinite vacuum on the other.

Question: When you remove the divider, over time, does the gas increase in acceleration, does it peak and then decrease or does it remain the same as the gas enters the vacuum/ leaves the side opposite the vacuum?f

Thanks
 
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Ron Spencer said:
Set up: Gas on one side of a divider and an infinite vacuum on the other.

Question: When you remove the divider, over time, does the gas increase in acceleration, does it peak and then decrease or does it remain the same as the gas enters the vacuum/ leaves the side opposite the vacuum?f

Thanks
What are your thoughts on this?
 
Ron Spencer said:
does the gas increase in acceleration

What does this mean?
 
Vanadium 50 said:
What does this mean?
What I meant was, does the flow of gas into the vacuum go faster, stay the same or slow down over the time it takes for it to flow into the vacuum. I hope that is clear. If not, please let me know and I'll try again.
 
Chestermiller said:
What are your thoughts on this?
Well...its been a long, long time since I studied physics in college and frankly, I don't remember much theory. Within those parameters my thought is that, as the amount of gas in that chamber decreases I'd expect the speed that it flows into the vacuum to slow.

On the other hand, the "pull" of the vacuum, while slightly reduced by the introduction of the gas (slightly reducing the quality of the vacuum), will continue unchanged. If this is true then the speed of the gas leaving its chamber should remain constant. As you can see, I am torn on which is the correct analysis.
 

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