Is heat absorbed, when volume is increased?

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Homework Help Overview

The discussion revolves around the thermodynamic behavior of a gas in a thermally insulated container with a movable piston, specifically focusing on the implications of increasing volume on heat absorption or release. Participants are exploring concepts related to the Carnot cycle and PV diagrams.

Discussion Character

  • Conceptual clarification, Assumption checking, Mixed

Approaches and Questions Raised

  • Participants are considering the relationship between volume expansion, heat exchange, and internal energy changes. Some express initial thoughts on whether heat is absorbed or released, while others reflect on the implications of the system being thermally insulated.

Discussion Status

The discussion is active, with participants questioning their assumptions about heat flow and internal energy. There is a recognition of the first law of thermodynamics and its application to the scenario, leading to varied interpretations of the effects of volume change on temperature and internal energy.

Contextual Notes

Participants are navigating the complexities of adiabatic and isothermal processes within the context of the Carnot cycle, indicating a focus on understanding these thermodynamic principles rather than solving a specific problem.

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Homework Statement


Hi! Greetings! This is not really a problem set; I just made the question up to better understand PV diagrams of Carnot cycle.

Suppose you have a gas in a container with a movable piston, but is thermally insulated. If the volume of the gas increases, is heat absorbed by the system (the gas particles) or released by the system into the environment?

Homework Equations



[itex]dQ = dU + dW[/itex]
[itex]dQ = dU + PdV[/itex]

The Attempt at a Solution


Hmm.. What I am thinking is that if the volume expands, the gas particles are less compressed and have more place to move around, so I guess the system should give off heat to the surroundings?
 
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Oh, I got it. It's thermally insulated, so no heat flow. It's the temperature that should change, and if it is an ideal gas, the volume is proportional with temperature and thus, the temperature should increase. Sorry for asking a silly question.. Haha..
 
physicsjn said:

Homework Statement


Hi! Greetings! This is not really a problem set; I just made the question up to better understand PV diagrams of Carnot cycle.

Suppose you have a gas in a container with a movable piston, but is thermally insulated. If the volume of the gas increases, is heat absorbed by the system (the gas particles) or released by the system into the environment?

Homework Equations



[itex]dQ = dU + dW[/itex]
[itex]dQ = dU + PdV[/itex]

The Attempt at a Solution


Hmm.. What I am thinking is that if the volume expands, the gas particles are less compressed and have more place to move around, so I guess the system should give off heat to the surroundings?

If the container is thermally insulated ,there is no heat exchange between the container and the surroundings
 
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physicsjn said:
Oh, I got it. It's thermally insulated, so no heat flow. It's the temperature that should change, and if it is an ideal gas, the volume is proportional with temperature and thus, the temperature should increase. Sorry for asking a silly question.. Haha..
How can it increase?

Apply the first law. If PdV>0 and Q = 0 what must happen to U?

AM
 
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Andrew Mason said:
How can it increase?

Apply the first law. If PdV>0 and Q = 0 what must happen to U?

AM

I guess the internal energy increases if PdV.

But in Carnot cycle there are two types of processes right? Adiabatic and isothermal. The process described above is adiabatic, so I thought there should be some temperature change.
 
Ah wait.. When the volume increases, the particles are doing work against the system, so the internal energy will decrease. And temperature also would decrease. Am I right?
 
physicsjn...

dU = -pdV

Now dV > 0 ,so dU <0 i.e internal energy decreases.
 
Oh I see.. Thank you very much! :)
 

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