ME 233

BASIC THERMODYNAMICS
LEC 3

Instructor: R. Lucero
PROPERTIES AND STATE OF A SUBSTANCE
(Problem Solving)
Approach in Problem Solving
✓Visualize and understand the
situation
✓Sketch a table or a diagram
✓Focus on numerical and algebraic
information given
✓Focus on the expected result
Approach in Problem Solving

✓Simplify the problem

✓Remove unnecessary information
✓Categorize the situation given
 Approach in Problem Solving

✓Strive to get a mathematical equation and

solution
✓Substitute appropriate numbers and signs
✓Round it appropriately
Approach in Problem Solving

✓Examine your final answer

✓Try to compare it with other problems
✓Check units, is it logical?
Problem #1. During a heating process, the
temperature of a system rises by 10°C.
Express this rise in temperature in K, °F, and
R. Ans. 10 K, 18 R, 18⁰F
Problem # 2. A vacuum gage connected to a
chamber reads 5.8 psi at a location where the
atmospheric pressure is 14.5 psi. Determine
the absolute pressure in the chamber.
Ans. 8.7 psi
Problem #3. A manometer is
used to measure the pressure
in a tank. The fluid used has a
specific gravity of 0.85, and
the manometer column height
is 55 cm. If the local
atmospheric pressure is 96
kPa, determine the absolute
pressure within the tank. Ans.
P = 100.6 kPa
Problem #4. The water in a tank is
pressurized by air, and the pressure
is measured by a multifluid
manometer. The tank is located on a
mountain at an altitude of 1400 m
where the atmospheric pressure is
85.6 kPa. Determine the air pressure
in the tank if h1 = 0.1 m, h2 = 0.2 m,
and h3 = 0.35 m. Take the densities
of water, oil, and mercury to be 1000
𝑘𝑔/𝑚3 , 850 𝑘𝑔/𝑚3 , and 13,600
𝑘𝑔/𝑚3 , respectively.
Ans. P = 130 kPa
Problem #5. Determine the atmospheric pressure
at a location where the barometric reading is 740
mm Hg and the gravitational acceleration is g
9.81 m/s2. Assume the temperature of mercury to
be 10C, at which its density is 13,570 kg/m3.
Ans. P = 98.5 kPa
Problem #6. A tank contains a mixture of 20 kg of
nitrogen and 20 kg of carbon monoxide. The total tank
volume is 20𝑚3 . Determine the density and specific
volume of the mixture. Ans. 2 𝒌𝒈/𝑚𝟑 , 0.5 𝒎𝟑 /𝒌𝒈

Problem #7. A hiker is carrying a barometer that

measures 101.3 kPa at the base of the mountain. The
barometer reads 85.0 kPa at the top of the mountain.
The average air density is 1.21 𝑘𝑔/𝑚3 . Determine the
height of the mountain.
Ans. 1373 m
 3
Problem #8. A 1 𝑚 container is filled with 0.12
𝑚3 of granite, 0.15 𝑚3 of sand, 0.2 𝑚3 of liquid
water, and the rest of volume, 0.53 𝑚3 , is air. Find
the overall average specific volume and density?
3
Densities: granite (2750 kg/𝑚 ), sand (1500
3 3 3
kg/𝑚 ), water (997 kg/𝑚 ), Air (1.15 kg/𝑚 )
𝒎𝟑 𝒌𝒈
−𝟑
Ans. 𝒗 = 𝟏. 𝟑𝟐 𝒙𝟏𝟎 , 𝝆 = 𝟕𝟓𝟓
𝒌𝒈 𝒎𝟑
Problem # 9. A manometer exploration vehicle
submerges to a depth of 1000 ft. If the
atmospheric pressure at the surface is 1 atm, the
3 2
water density is 62.4 𝑙𝑏/𝑓𝑡 and 𝑔 = 32.2 𝑓𝑡/𝑠 .
Determine the pressure on the vehicle in atm.
Ans. 𝑷 = 𝟑𝟎 𝒂𝒕𝒎
NEXT TOPIC: Systems of Units
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