Pressure, volume, and temperature

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Homework Help Overview

The discussion revolves around a problem involving the comparison of volumes occupied by steam and liquid water under specific conditions of temperature and pressure. The subject area includes thermodynamics and properties of gases and liquids.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory, Assumption checking, Conceptual clarification

Approaches and Questions Raised

  • Participants discuss the relevance of steam's density and whether it can be treated as an ideal gas. There are questions about how to determine the volume of water based on its density and the implications of using the ideal gas law for steam.

Discussion Status

Some participants have offered guidance on looking up densities and considering the ideal gas law, while others express skepticism about treating water as an ideal gas. Multiple interpretations of the problem are being explored, indicating a productive dialogue.

Contextual Notes

There is mention of the level of the physics class, suggesting varying expectations regarding the treatment of steam and water in this context. The original poster expresses uncertainty about how to begin the problem.

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Homework Statement



What is the ratio of the volume occupied by 300C steam at 1.0 atm pressure to the volume occupied by an equal mass of liquid water?

Homework Equations



P1V1/T1=P2V2/T2 ??

The Attempt at a Solution



not sure where to start
 
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Can you look up the density of steam at that temperature and pressure?
I think the Handbook of Chemistry has such a table. Or try Wikipedia.
 
No, no, Delphi, that is not in the spirit of Physics. What are you, an engineer? ;-)

Actually, you want to look at the density of water. Fairly easy. From water's density, determine the volume of a given mass.

Depending on the level of your physics class, you might be able to treat steam as an ideal gas. If so, use the ideal gas law to determine the volume of the steam.
 
an engineer?
Oh, no! I don't know if I would trust water to be an ideal gas, though. Maybe we need a chemist!
 
Delphi51 said:
Oh, no! I don't know if I would trust water to be an ideal gas, though. Maybe we need a chemist!

In freshman physics books there are dozens of questions which tell you to "treat the [whatever] as an ideal gas." In advanced thermodynamics, you need to add the specific qualifying ratios, but this didn't sound like an advanced level question.
 

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