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AEP 4320 Assignment 2-

Statistical Thermodynamics (Cornell University)

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AEP/PHYS 4230 - STATISTICAL THERMODYNAMICS

Assignment #2 September 5, 2018

Due 5:00 PM September 11, 2018

(Submit via the AEP/Phys 4230 Homework slot close to Clark 244)

Reading:
Bowley and Sanchez, Chapter 3, Chapter 4.1-4.3
(Supplement/Alternative) Reif, Chapters 1 and 5, and/or Kittel and Kroemer. Chapters 1 & 2

1. An un-extended spring hanging from the ceiling is in equilibrium. A mass M is suddenly

placed at the bottom end of it. This mass due to the force of gravity causes the spring to extend.
After a time a new equilibrium position is reached. If x is the extension of the spring, the force of
tension is Kx where K is the spring constant.
a. Obtain a formula for the extension of the spring when it is in equilibrium.
b. What is the change in the potential energy of the mass?
c. What is the increase in the internal energy of the spring?
d. How much heat is released due to the placement of the mass M on the spring?

2. In an adiabatic free expansion of a gas, not necessarily ideal, the total mean energy U of the
gas remains constant. For such a free expansion
a. What is ( ∂T / ∂V )U ? Express the result in terms of p, T, ( ∂ p / ∂T )V , and the heat capacity

at constant volume Cv.

b. What is ( ∂S / ∂V )U ? Express the result in terms of p and T.

c. Using the results (a) and (b), what is the temperature change ΔT = T2 − T1 in a free

expansion of a non-ideal gas from volume V1 to volume V2. Give an explicit result for
the case where the gas follows van der Waals relation:

⎛ a⎞
⎜⎝ p + V 2 ⎟⎠ (V − b) = NkbT

where a and b constants and N is fixed. You can assume that Cv is independent of T.

3. Consider the earth's atmosphere as an ideal gas of molecules each of molecular weight (mass)
m in a uniform gravitational field. Let g denote the acceleration due to gravity.

a. If z is the height above sea level, show that the change of atmospheric pressure p with
dp mg
height is given by =− dz where T is the (absolute) temperature at height z.
p k BT

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b. If the decrease of pressure in (a.) with height is due to an adiabatic expansion of the gas
dp γ dT
with height, show that = where γ = Cp/CV is the ratio of the heat capacities
p γ −1 T
(ratio of specific heats) of the gas at constant pressure and constant volume.
c. From (a.) and (b.) calculate dT / dz in degrees per kilometer assuming the atmosphere is
nitrogen N2, for which γ = 1.4
d. For an isothermal atmosphere at temperature T, what is the pressure p at height z in terms
of the pressure p0 at sea level?
e. If the sea-level pressure and temperature are p0 and T0, respectively, and the atmosphere
is adiabatic as in part b. instead of isothermal as in d., what is the pressure p at height z?

4. In a temperature range near an (absolute) temperature T, the tension force F on a stretched

plastic rod is related to its length L by the expression: F = aT2(L - Lo), where a and Lo are
positive constants, Lo being the un-stretched length of the rod. When L = Lo, the heat capacity CL
of the rod (measured at constant length) is given by the relation CL = bT, where b is a constant.
a. Write down the fundamental thermodynamic relation for this system, expressing the
differential of the rod’s entropy dS in terms of dU and dL.
b. The entropy S(T,L) of the rod is a function of T and L. Compute ( ∂S / ∂L )T

c. Knowing S(To,Lo), find S(T,L) at any other temperature T and length L. (It is best to
calculate first the change of entropy with temperature at the length Lo where the heat
capacity is known.)
d. If you start at T = Ti and L = Li and stretch the thermally insulated rod quasi-statically
until it attains the length Lf , what is the final temperature Tf? Is Tf larger or smaller than
Ti ?
e. Calculate the heat capacity CL(L,T) of the rod when its length is L instead of Lo.

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5. An ideal gas can be considered as a collection of N weakly interacting spin-less particles each
of point mass m confined to a cubic volume with linear dimensions L.

a. Using quantum mechanics write the energy levels of one such particle in terms of m, L and the
quantum numbers of the state nx, ny and nz.

b. If each particle has average thermal energy 3/2 kBT , due to its thermally generated kinetic
energy 1/2 kBT in each of three directions of motion of the particle, what is the average value of
the three independent single particle quantum numbers nx , ny , nz if T = 273 K, L =1 cm, and the
gas is composed of He atoms?

c. Assume that each particle can randomly change between different values of its spin particle
quantum numbers, nx, ny, nz, while keeping its energy fixed at 3/2 kBT. Estimate, very
approximately, how many different accessible energy states each such particle has. Here for
simplicity use the different ways of distributing N energy quanta amongst three boxes, and
assume that each quanta is fixed to be the value obtained by dividing the particle’s thermal
energy by the average value of the three quantum numbers obtained in (b.)
(This is of course a quite rough approximation – but OK for estimating orders of magnitude.)

d. Considering that the density of an ideal gas at standard temperature and pressure (~ 273 K
and 1 atmosphere) is about 2.7 x 1019 atoms/cm3, what is approximately the number of different
microscopic states that one cubic centimeter of such an ideal gas will have at 273 K and p = 1
atmosphere?

e. Now increase T of the cubic centimeter of gas by 1 K. What is the change in the number of
accessible microstates?

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