Work done in adiabatic process vs work done in isothermal

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SUMMARY

In the comparison of work done during adiabatic and isothermal processes for an ideal gas, it is established that more work is performed in the adiabatic process. The equations used include \(W = \frac{(P_1V_1 - P_2V_2)}{\gamma - 1}\) for adiabatic work and \(W = \int P\,dV\) for isothermal work. The analysis shows that the slope of the pressure-volume curve for an adiabatic process is steeper than that of an isothermal process, leading to the conclusion that \(W_{Adiabatic} > W_{Isothermal}\).

PREREQUISITES
  • Understanding of ideal gas laws, specifically \(PV = nRT\)
  • Familiarity with thermodynamic processes: adiabatic and isothermal
  • Knowledge of calculus, particularly differentiation
  • Comprehension of thermodynamic equations, including \(dU = dQ - dW\)
NEXT STEPS
  • Study the derivation of the work done in isothermal processes using the ideal gas law
  • Explore the implications of the adiabatic process in real-world applications
  • Learn about the significance of the heat capacity ratio \(\gamma\) in thermodynamics
  • Investigate the graphical representation of adiabatic and isothermal processes on PV diagrams
USEFUL FOR

Students and professionals in physics and engineering, particularly those focused on thermodynamics and energy systems, will benefit from this discussion.

shihab-kol
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Homework Statement


[/B]
An ideal gas is compressed to the same volume from the same initial state for both an adiabatic and an isothermal process. In which case will more work be done ?

2. Homework Equations

##dU=dQ - dW ##
##W=\int P\,dV ##(For isothermal)
##W=nc_vdT##
##W=\frac{(P_1V_1-P_2V_2)} {ϒ-1}##(For adiabatic)
##PV^ϒ=constant##(For adiabatic)


The Attempt at a Solution



I take the initial state to be ##(P_1,V_1)## and the final as ##(P_2,V_2)## for isothermal and ##(P_3,V_2)## for adiabatic.
I have $$PV=nRT$$
Differentiating with respect to V,
(For isothermal)[/B]
$$\frac{dP_i}{dV_i}=-\frac{P}{V}$$
And,
(For adiabatic)$$\frac{d(PV^ϒ)}{dV}= 0$$
Or,$$\frac{dP_a}{dV_a}=-(ϒ-1)\frac{P}{V}$$
Substituting the earlier equation into the above,$$\frac{dP_a}{dV_a} = (ϒ-1)\frac{dP_i}{dV_i}$$
What I get is that the slope of an adiabat is higher than the slope of an isothermal having the same initial state and thus,
$$P_3>P_2$$
And,
$$W_{Adiabatic}>W_{Isothermal}$$
Is this alright ?

 
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Your answer is correct.
 
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Chestermiller said:
Your answer is correct.
Thanks for taking the trouble of checking it out.
 

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