Ch. 18. Heat, work, and the first law of thermodynamics.

15. In a perfectly insulated container, 2.5 kg of water is stirred vigorously until its temperature rises by 2.0C.
How much work is done on the water?

Sol) The first law of thermodynamics dictates that U = Q + W. Since there is no heat exchange in an insulated
system, the change in the internal energy of the system is equivalent to the work done on the system.

W U mCT (2kg ) (4.184 J / kg / K ) (2K ) 16.736 J .

33. During cycling, the human body typically releases stored energy from food at the rate of 500 W, and produces
about 120 W of mechanical power. At what rate does the body produce heat during cycling?

dU dQ dW
Sol) The time derivative on the first law of thermodynamics dictates that . Therefore, the heat
dt dt dt
emission rate is the subtraction of the mechanical power from the total consumption rate, or 500 180 W= 320
W.

45. Monatomic argon gas is initially at a chilly 28 K. By what factor would you have to increase its pressure,
adiabatically, to bring it to room temperature (293 K)?

Sol) For an ideal gas, the constant-volume specific heat is 3R/2, according to the equipartition theorem (U =
3RT/2). Therefore, = Cp/CV = (CV + R)/CV = 5/3. For adiabatic process, pV = constant. Using the ideal gas law,
pV = nRT, p1-T = constant. Therefore,
/ ( 1) 5/ 2
293 293 293
pressure ratio , pressure ratio
1
354.22 .
28 28 28

55. Show that the relation between pressure and temperature in an adiabatic process is p1-T = constant.

Sol) For adiabatic process, pV = constant. Using the ideal gas law, pV = nRT, p1-T = constant. Note that the
relation is valid only for the ideal gas.

n
2

74. A real gas is more accurately described using the van der Waals equation: p a (V nb) nRT ,
V
where a and b are constants. Find an expression, corresponding to Equation 18.4, for the work done by a van der
Waals gas undergoing an isothermal expansion from V1 to V2.
2
nRT n
Sol) p a . Integrating the pressure with respect to V, we find the work:
V nb V

2 V 2

V
nRT n
2

V2 nb 2 1 1
W pdV a dV nRT ln an .
V1 V nb
V1 V
V1 nb V2 V1