Difference between Isothermal and Adiabatic?

AI Thread Summary
Isothermal processes involve no change in temperature, resulting in a change in internal energy (delta U) of zero, yet heat transfer (Q) can still occur due to energy flow. In adiabatic processes, where no heat is exchanged, temperature can change due to work being done on or by the gas, illustrating that work can also affect internal energy. The first law of thermodynamics, ΔU = Q - W, emphasizes that both heat and work contribute to changes in internal energy. The discussion highlights the confusion surrounding the relationship between heat, work, and temperature changes in thermodynamic processes. Understanding these principles clarifies how energy conservation operates in different scenarios.
Saippo
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So for Isothermal, there is no change of T so hence delta U is 0. However, if there isn't a change of temperature, how is there a change of Q? I thought heat was the flow of energy of different temperatures. This confuses me for adiabatic as well. With no heat, how is there a temperature change. Also, apparently adiabatic processes, the change of temperature must be negative. However, why? For a second, I thought it may be because there's no added heat but there shouldn't be heat leaving either.
I feel like this is all tangled up in my head and I would appreciate some clarification!
 
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Do you think that work being done by the gas or on the gas has anything to do with this?
 
I did think about that. So if Q is 0 all the internal energy would go to work. However, I thought temperature change was required for there to be a change of internal energy. Then, I ended up back to, how is there no heat when there is a temperature change when heat is involved when there's a change of temperature. Even if I think that all the energy went to work, because of what I believed in the previous statement, it doesn't make sense to me.
 
Saippo said:
I did think about that. So if Q is 0 all the internal energy would go to work. However, I thought temperature change was required for there to be a change of internal energy.
Yes. That's correct for an ideal gas.
Then, I ended up back to, how is there no heat when there is a temperature change when heat is involved when there's a change of temperature. Even if I think that all the energy went to work, because of what I believed in the previous statement, it doesn't make sense to me.
Heat is not the only thing that can cause a change in internal energy and, along with it, a temperature change. Work can also cause a change in internal energy (even without heat), and, along with it, a temperature change. This is the whole idea behind the first law of thermodynamics ##\Delta U=Q-W##, which is basically a statement of conservation of energy. Both Q (heat) and W (work) can cause the internal energy (and temperature) to change. Joule proved this experimentally when he did mechanical work on a liquid and its temperature increased. This basically showed that doing work on a system is equivalent to adding heat to the system.
 
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