How much work is done by the system when
2.00 moles of O2 expand from a volume of
3.00 liters to a volume of 8.1 liters against a
constant external pressure of 0.0100 atm?
Answer in units of J
Work = p*delta V.
Add the appropriate sign.
To calculate the work done by the system, you can use the formula:
Work = -Pext * ΔV
Where:
- Work is the work done by the system (in joules, J)
- Pext is the external pressure (in atm)
- ΔV is the change in volume (in liters)
Given:
- Moles of O2 (n) = 2.00 mol
- Initial volume (V1) = 3.00 L
- Final volume (V2) = 8.1 L
- External pressure (Pext) = 0.0100 atm
First, we need to calculate the change in volume (ΔV):
ΔV = V2 - V1
ΔV = 8.1 L - 3.00 L
ΔV = 5.1 L
Now we can substitute the values into the formula to calculate the work:
Work = -Pext * ΔV
Work = -0.0100 atm * 5.1 L
Since 1 L·atm = 101.325 J, we can convert atm to joules:
Work = -0.0100 atm * 5.1 L * 101.325 J/L·atm
Work ≈ -5.1735 J
Note: The negative sign indicates that work is done on the system (the gas is expanding against the external pressure).
Therefore, the work done by the system is approximately -5.1735 J (rounded to four decimal places).