PC1431 Physics IE: Tutorial 5

Question 1
As a sample of ideal gas is allowed to expand adiabatically, its pressure drops from 125
to 105 kPa, and its temperature drops from 300 K to 280 K. Is the gas monatomic or
diatomic? [Ans: monoatomic]
Question 2
A cylinder with a piston contains a monatomic ideal gas at a volume V0 . Energy is
transferred by heat into the system as it is allowed to expand to a final volume 8V0 .
Throughout the expansion the relationship between the pressure and volume is given
by
4
P = V 1/3 ,
3

(1)

where is a constant of dimension Force/(Length)3

4/3

(a) Find the work done by the gas. [Ans: 15V0 ]

4/3

(b) Find the energy transferred by heat. [Ans: 45V0 ]

Express all your answers explicitly in terms of V0 .
Question 3
(a) n moles of an ideal gas undergo an isothermal expansion at temperature T , during
which its volume increases from Vi to Vf . Find the work done by the gas in terms
of n, the gas constant R, T , Vi and Vf . [Ans: W = nRT ln(Vf /Vi )]
(b) Consider an engine, which operates in a cycle that starts at point 1 in Figure 1 with
n moles of air at temperature TC . The air may be treated as an ideal gas. Process
12 is an isothermal compression, process 23 is heating at constant volume, process
34 is an isothermal expansion, and process 41 is cooling at constant volume. Find
the net work done in one cycle, in terms of n, R, the temperature TC and TH and
the volumes V1 and V2 . [Ans: W = nR(TH TC ) ln(V1 /V2 )]

Figure 1: Heat engine

Question 4
You are designing an experiment that requires a gas with
=

Cp
= 1.55.
CV

(2)

From your studies of PC1431, you remember that no such gas has a value. However,
you suspect that mixing monoatomic and diatomic ideal gases may yield a gas with this
value. Determine the fraction of diatomic molecules a mixture has to have to obtain
this value. (Hint: if you mix equal number of diatomic and monoatomic molecules, the
value of of the resultant gas is NOT the average of diatomic and monoatomic .) [Ans:
0.318]
Question 5
A scuba tank has a volume of 2800cm3 . For very deep dives, the tank is filled with 50%
(by volume) pure oxygen (O2 ) and 50% pure helium (He). The molar mass of helium
is 4 g mol1 , and for oxygen is 32 g mol1 .
(a) How many molecules are there of each type in the tank if it is filled at 20 C to a
total pressure of 10 atmospheres? [N (He) = N (O2 ) = 3.55 1023 ]
(b) What is the ratio of the average translational kinetic energy of a helium atom to
(He)
(O )
that of the oxygen molecule? [Ans: Ktr /Ktr 2 = 1]
(c) What is the ratio of the rms speeds of a helium atom to that of the oxygen
(He)
(O )
molecule? [Ans: vrms /vrms2 = 2.82]

Question 6: For practice

As shown in Figure 2, the initial pressure and volume of 0.100 moles of an ideal
monoatomic gas are PA = 32.0 Pa and VA = 8.00 m3 , as shown in the P V diagram
below. The final state has PB = 1.0 Pa and VB = 64.0 m3 . The gas undergoes a process
along the straight line joining the two points (Path I). The equation of the line is
P = aV + b where a = 31/56 Pa/m3 and b = 255/7 Pa.

Figure 2:

(a) Write down an expression for the temperature T as a function of V , a, b and R

(the gas constant) along this striaght line. What are the numerical values of the
temperatures at A and B? [Ans: At A, T = 308 K; At B, T = 77 K]
(b) Using the First Law of Thermodynamics or otherwise, show that Q, the net heat
entering the gas when its volume changes from VA to any other volume V along
the straight line is given by

Q = 4a


1 2
5
V 32 + b (V 8) .
2
2

(3)

(c) Hence, calculate the numerical value of net heat entering the gas along the straight
line from VA to VB , [Ans: Q = 636 J]
(d) and determine the value of V for which the heat that has entered the system is a
maximum. What is the maximum Qmax ? [Ans: Qmax = 1215 J]
Question 7: For practice
Interstellar space, far from any star, is filled with a very low density of hydrogen atoms
(a monoatomic gas). The number density is about 1.0 atom/cm3 , and the temperature
is about 3.0 K.
(a) Estimate the pressure in interstellar space. [Ans: P = 4.14 1017 Pa]
(b) What is the root-mean-square (r.m.s) speed of the atoms? [Ans: vrms = 273 ms1 ]
(c) If a cubic volume of the gas has 1.0 J of the internal energy, what is the length of
an edge of the cube? [Ans: L = 2.53 105 m]
3