Homework Help: Physics

Posted by Pierre on Saturday, April 19, 2008 at 1:21pm.

The temperature of a monatomic ideal gas remains constant during a process in which 4500 J of heat flows out of the gas. How much work (including the proper + or - sign) is done on the gas?
J

Physics - Damon, Saturday, April 19, 2008 at 5:42pm
Well, to start - You must compress the gas to get heat out at constant temperature --> work in

The process is isothermal (constant temp)

In an ideal gas, the internal energy U depends only on T, so the change in U is zero so
0 = Q - W
but Q = -4500 J
so
0 = -4500 + W
W = +4500 = work done BY gas
so -4500 is work done ON the gas
Physics - Pierre, Sunday, April 20, 2008 at 4:37am
I'm not sure what we are doing wrong but the computer is saying -4500 is wrong
Sign error - Damon, Sunday, April 20, 2008 at 4:49pm
so
0 = -4500 - W ======= NOT + W
W = -4500 = work done BY gas
so +4500 is work done ON the gas

I prefaced this whole thing by telling you why W had to be positive then did not notice my sign error.

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