Resolving Discrepancies in Photon Gas Thermodynamics

[ed321]

Homework Statement

I’m struggling to reconcile two results about the behaviour of a photon gas, any help would be appreciated:
First of all the Gibbs free energy=0, which means that dG=0=Vdp-SdT
But also p=1/3 U/V and S=4/3 U/T which means p=1/4 ST/V. Now if we call the entropy per unit volume S/V=s, p=1/4sT and differentiating both sides with respect to p at constant s we get 1=1/4s dp/dT which doesn’t agree with the result from the Gibb’s function.

Homework Equations

(My expressions for G, p and S agree with wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Photon_gas)

The Attempt at a Solution

I think I must not be differentiating p=1/4sT correctly, but I can’t see what I need to do differently.

Thanks.

 

[ed321]

Would this be more appropriate somewhere else?

 

[ozymandias]

Hey ed,

I'll rephrase your question for you.
Why do you think you can transform

0 = V dp - SdT

into

\frac{S}{V} = \left( \frac{\partial p}{\partial T}\right)_s

(which is really what you're comparing your derivation to - correct me if I'm mistaken.)

--------
Assaf
http://www.physicallyincorrect.com/"

 

[ed321]

Thanks for the reply.

I thought \frac{S}{V} = \left( \frac{\partial p}{\partial T}\right)_s
followed straight away from 0 = V dp - SdT by "dividing" by dT at constant s. Maybe this step isn't valid since you can't always treat dT like a ordinary number, but I can't see any reason this would be the case this time?

Any further advice appreciated.
Thanks

 

[oddthingy]

<br /> dG = 0 = V dp - SdT<br /> gives
<br /> \frac{S}{V} = \left( \frac{\partial p}{\partial T}\right)_G<br />, not
<br /> \frac{S}{V} = \left( \frac{\partial p}{\partial T}\right)_s<br />.