What is Internal Energy + Pressure * Volume

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Discussion Overview

The discussion centers around the relationship between internal energy, pressure, and volume in thermodynamic systems, particularly in the context of whether the sum of internal energy and pressure times volume can be equated to heat, total energy, or energy in transit. Participants explore concepts related to thermodynamics, including entropy, state functions, and the behavior of gases under pressure.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Technical explanation
  • Debate/contested
  • Experimental/applied

Main Points Raised

  • Some participants question whether Internal Energy + Pressure * Volume equals heat, total energy, or energy in transit, suggesting that in a closed system, this relationship may imply a constant total energy.
  • One participant proposes that if internal energy decreases, pressure times volume must increase, leading to implications for entropy, while another argues that a decrease in pressure times volume could indicate an increase in internal energy and a decrease in entropy.
  • There is a discussion about the definition and relevance of enthalpy (H) as a state function that relates to heat transferred at constant pressure.
  • One participant shares an experimental observation regarding gas behavior under pressure, noting that the gas did not return to its original volume after pressure was removed, attributing this to potential frictional effects and conservation of energy concerns.
  • Another participant mentions the heating and cooling behavior of gases during compression and expansion, questioning the time allowed for the gas to reach thermal equilibrium.
  • Hysteresis is introduced as a potential factor affecting the behavior of the gas and the piston, with discussions on how it relates to energy dissipation and the mechanics of the system.
  • Participants consider various explanations for the observed phenomena, including friction, gas leakage, and temperature changes.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express multiple competing views on the relationships between internal energy, pressure, volume, and entropy, with no consensus reached on the implications of these relationships or the effects of hysteresis and friction in the experimental context.

Contextual Notes

Limitations include assumptions about closed systems, the definitions of energy terms, and the unresolved nature of the mathematical relationships discussed. The effects of temperature and hysteresis on gas behavior remain open questions.

kmarinas86
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Can anyone tell me if Internal\ Energy + Pressure * Volume equals heat, total energy, energy in transit?

What if all energy is assumed to be in transit (heat all the way down)? Would that mean all energy is heat? I tend to think so for the following reason:

In a "complete" system (with no inputs and outputs):

Total\ (E)nergy=Internal\ Energy + Pressure * Volume

Would imply that Internal\ Energy + Pressure * Volume is constant. It would therefore mean any decrease in internal energy would be matched by a increase in pressure * volume; this implies that entropy must increase if pressure * volume increases. We see this happening with the cores of planetary nebula. However, if pressure * volume decreases (i.e. internal energy increases), this implies an entropy decrease.

If volume became

Pressure*Volume would amount to "un-internal energy".

But am I wrong?

I'm trying to figure this out:

http://web.mit.edu/16.unified/www/FALL/thermodynamics/chapter_4.htm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internal_energy#Expressions_for_the_internal_energy


Oh wait... i think this is it:

http://64.233.187.104/search?q=cache:tnyYIhREbdMJ:www.physicsforums.com/archive/index.php/t-98358.html+%22total+energy%22%22internal+energy%22+%22pressure+times+volume%22&hl=en&gl=us&ct=clnk&cd=2&client=firefox-a

Also, if radiation is emitted, at the finest particles and/or at the largest scales, does pressure * volume increase?

Is Internal\ Energy + Binding\ Energy = constant a correct statement for closed systems?
 
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kmarinas86 said:
Can anyone tell me if Internal\ Energy + Pressure * Volume equals heat, total energy, energy in transit?
Why don't you call it Enthalpy (H)?
H is a state function (it doesn't depend on the path, like heat or work) and is commonly used in thermodinamics.
H is the heat transferred at constant pressure. This is the only physical meaning I know, but certainly there are others (not so simple, however).
 
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However, if pressure * volume decreases (i.e. internal energy increases), this implies an entropy decrease.

In planetary nebulae I would say that it is right to say that pressure is constant through the process.

dQ=dU+pdV.

This is a reversible process and as such i.e. no heat is dissipated or absorbed, dQ=0 and as such

S=dQ/T does not change, i.e. there is no change in entropy. This is a simple thermodynamic argument, so we assume no emission of photons or radiation of any sort and that we have a closed system.
 
Hmm, I was thinking about this today. we did an experiment where we put a gas under pressure and measured the volume to verify boyle's law? But when we removed the pressure, it did not return to it's original volume. I am assuming this is because of frictional effects with the piston and the cylinder - if it wasn't the case, and the piston returned to it's original position, then the heat produced due to friction would have come from nowhere, violating the law of conservation of energy.
I was thinking though, the idea of the volume of a (fixed mass of) gas changing without the pressure or temprature changing, seems very odd to me. I was thinking, if (change in)internal energy = heat + work, and since there is no change in temp. (it's at room temprature the whole time), (change in) internal energy = work.
So what i need, i suppose, is some correlation between internal energy and volume or pressure, Are the two related? does anyone know a formula that relates the two?
 
The gas heats up when compressed, and cools down when it expands. Are you allowing enough time for the gas to reach room temperature again, after the volume changes each time?
 
Redbelly98 said:
The gas heats up when compressed, and cools down when it expands. Are you allowing enough time for the gas to reach room temperature again, after the volume changes each time?

well, that's what i thought it might be. However, the lab supervisor mentioned an effect called hysterisis, I had a quick look on wikipedia for it, but i haven't found very much useful stuff on it other than what's in the wiki article. I'm thinking of saying that, Once all the pressure has been unloaded from the piston, and the volume stops increasing before it has returned to what it was originally because at the point where it stops, the difference in pressure between the gas inside the cylinder and outside is less than what it was for that volume as the load was increasing. The smaller difference in pressure is not enough to overcome static friction on the piston so it does not move, despite the fact that the volume is less than it was originally... Is this correct?
 
It's definitely possible that friction is causing what you see. To test this you could force the piston back to its original volume, and see if it stays at that volume.

Other possible causes are that some gas might have leaked out (if the piston's seal leaks) or, as I mentioned before, the gas temperature has changed.

Those are just 3 possibilities that come to mind. I'm not sure what hysteresis would have to do with this, perhaps someone else has an idea?
 
jimRH9 said:
The smaller difference in pressure is not enough to overcome static friction on the piston so it does not move, despite the fact that the volume is less than it was originally... Is this correct?

This sounds like a reasonable explanation and it would constitute hysteresis. As a mechanical engineer, I associate hysteresis with energy dissipation, the "opening up" of a linear relationship between pressure and volume to enclose some finite area inside the curve, the need to apply a little extra force to get the system back to its original condition. These are the characteristics of hysteresis in magnetization, polarization, and spring motion with friction, which is one way to model your system.
 
Exellent, I think i'll include both temprature and hysterisis in the discussion. As well as the obvious and most probable cause, that the gas leaked out.
 

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