Impossible thermodynamics Q :(((

[RoisinCleary]

Homework Statement

My professor has made up this question for us and I have no idea what I’m doing. I drew a diagram but I don’t know how to answer these questions

Consider a cylinder with a fixed piston, Half-way up the cylinder is a thin sheet of glass, separating the cylinder in to two halves.
N particles of gas exist on one side (A) of the partition, and 0(zero) particles on the other (B). At t=0, the glass plate shatters into tiny pieces (essentially ‘disappears’), & The gas in A can expand into side-B. a) is there any (moving) boundary for the gas to push against? Can any work be done? W=Integral(F * dX) b) what does the f(v) function of the gas as it passes by a plane close to the (shattered) glass plate look like (compare/contrast to the f(v) from side A before the glass broke.) c) in this ‘nearly instantaneous’ change, can heat flow from the cylinder into the gas? d) write out the numerical values of the terms in the 1st-law as a result of a)-c)

Any help is greatly appreciated :)

Relevant Equations

W=Integral(F * dX)

 

[etotheipi]

If the volume of the container is fixed, can any work be done on the surroundings? Or on the flip side, on the system?

For thermodynamics it's often easier to consider the pressure-volume form for work done on the system, namely $W = -\int_{V_1}^{V_2} P dV$.