Thermodynamics: Fan in a room

In summary: You are given W and you are asked to find delta U. You can do this.T = 300KIn summary, a person living in a 4m x 5m x 5m room turns on a 100-W fan before he leaves a warm room at 100kPa, 30 degrees Celsius, hoping that when he returned in 5 hours, the room would be cooler. Disregarding any heat transfer, the temperature of the room when he comes back can be determined by calculating the energy put into the system by the fan, which is 9,000,000 J. As the pressure is constant, this energy will cause the temperature to increase to approximately 300K. Therefore, the room
  • #1
teme92
185
2

Homework Statement



A person living in a 4m x 5m x 5m room turns on a 100-W fan before he leaves a warm room at 100kPa, 30 degrees Celsius, hoping that when he returned in 5 hours, the room would be cooler. Disregarding any heat transfer determine the temperature of the room when he comes back. ( Assume the air to be an ideal gas with molar heat capacity C_v=3R/2).

Homework Equations


I couldn't get any of the latex code to work in the new website format.

R=k_B/N_A
pV=nRT
deltaU=Q+W

The Attempt at a Solution



So I calculated the energy put into the system by the fan and got: E=100(60)(60)= 1,800,000 J

The volume of the room doesn't change but I know the pressure will increase so therefore the temperature will increase. I'm having trouble finding out how to find this though. Would anyone be able to point me to the next step? Any help is much appreciated.
 
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  • #2
Since there is no heat transfer into or out of the room, what is delta U? How is deltaU related to the temperature change?

Chet
 
  • #3
deltaU is 0? Well Q=mCdeltaT, am I on the right track with that?
 
  • #4
teme92 said:
deltaU is 0? Well Q=mCdeltaT, am I on the right track with that?
Delta U = Q + W where W is the work done on the gas. Is any work being done on the gas? (it says to ignore Q). That will tell you what happens to U.

AM
 
  • #5
teme92 said:
deltaU is 0? Well Q=mCdeltaT, am I on the right track with that?
No. delta U is not zero. The fan is doing work on the gas. How is delta U related to the work W when Q is zero?
 
  • #6
So deltaU = W then?

Sorry for the late reply and thanks for all the help!
 
  • #7
teme92 said:
E=100(60)(60)= 1,800,000 J
Don't forget units and the 5 hours on the left side.

Pressure will be constant - you cannot pressurize a real room, air will escape through various openings.
 
  • #8
Oh I forgot to multiply by 5. So E = 9,000,000 J
 
  • #9
No you did not forget it (otherwise your answer would not fit), you just forgot to write it down.
 
  • #10
teme92 said:
So deltaU = W then?

Sorry for the late reply and thanks for all the help!
Yes.
 

1. What is thermodynamics?

Thermodynamics is the branch of physics that deals with the study of heat energy and its relationship to other forms of energy, such as work and temperature.

2. What is a fan in a room?

A fan in a room refers to a mechanical device that circulates air in an enclosed space, typically a room. It works by creating a flow of air through the rotation of its blades.

3. How does a fan affect the temperature in a room?

A fan does not actually change the temperature in a room. Instead, it creates air movement which helps to distribute the warm or cool air evenly throughout the space, making it feel more comfortable.

4. What is the thermodynamic principle behind a fan in a room?

The principle behind a fan in a room is based on the second law of thermodynamics, which states that heat naturally flows from a high temperature area to a lower temperature area. The fan helps to facilitate this process by increasing air movement and promoting heat transfer.

5. Can a fan in a room lower the temperature?

No, a fan in a room cannot lower the temperature as it does not actually cool the air. However, it can make the room feel cooler by circulating air and promoting evaporation, which can make you feel more comfortable. To actually lower the temperature in a room, an air conditioning system or other cooling method is needed.

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