Is heat absorbed, when volume is increased?

In summary, the gas in a thermally insulated container will not release heat into the environment when the volume increases.
  • #1
schrodingerscat11
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1

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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  • #2
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..
 
  • #3
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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  • #4
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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  • #5
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.
 
  • #6
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?
 
  • #7
physicsjn...

dU = -pdV

Now dV > 0 ,so dU <0 i.e internal energy decreases.
 
  • #8
Oh I see.. Thank you very much! :)
 

1. Is heat absorbed when volume is increased?

Yes, heat is typically absorbed when volume is increased. This is because increasing volume can lead to a decrease in pressure, which causes molecules to spread out and have more space to move around. As a result, the molecules gain kinetic energy and the temperature increases, indicating that heat has been absorbed.

2. How does changing volume affect heat absorption?

Changing volume can affect heat absorption by altering the pressure and temperature of a system. When volume increases, pressure decreases, causing molecules to spread out and gain kinetic energy, thus increasing the temperature and resulting in heat absorption. Conversely, when volume decreases, pressure increases, causing molecules to become more compact and lose kinetic energy, resulting in a decrease in temperature and heat release.

3. Does this phenomenon apply to all substances?

No, this phenomenon does not apply to all substances. It is primarily observed in gases, as they are highly compressible and can easily change in volume with changes in pressure. In liquids and solids, changes in volume may not necessarily result in changes in pressure, and therefore may not have a significant impact on heat absorption.

4. Can changing volume affect the specific heat of a substance?

Yes, changing volume can affect the specific heat of a substance. The specific heat is defined as the amount of heat required to raise the temperature of a unit mass of a substance by one degree. When volume is increased, the specific heat may also increase due to changes in pressure and temperature. However, this relationship may vary depending on the substance and other factors such as phase changes.

5. Are there any practical applications of this concept?

Yes, there are many practical applications of this concept. For example, it is used in refrigeration systems, where compressing and expanding gases can lead to changes in temperature and heat absorption or release. This concept is also important in thermodynamics and heat transfer studies, as it helps to understand and predict the behavior of substances in different conditions.

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