Question

In an isobaric compression of an ideal gas

a. no heat flows into gas.
b. the internal energy of the gas remains constant
c. no work is done on the gas
d. work is done on the gas
e. work is done by the gas

Answer 1

In an isobaric compression, work is done on the gas by the force exerted on the movable piston.

Step-by-step explanation:

In an isobaric compression of an ideal gas,(option d) work is done on the gas. This means that energy is transferred to the gas through mechanical work. To understand this, let's consider a piston-cylinder system.

During an isobaric compression, the gas is compressed while the pressure remains constant. The gas particles push against the piston, causing it to move, and thus work is done on the gas.

This work is done by the force exerted on the movable piston, which causes a displacement. As a result, the volume and temperature of the gas decrease, indicating that the gas's internal energy has been decreased by doing work.

Answer 2

d. Work is done on the gas

Step-by-step explanation:

We are considering an isobaric compression, which means:

- Isobaric: the pressure of the gas is constant

- Compression: the volume of the gas is decreasing

For an isobaric compression, the volume done BY the gas is

`W=p \Delta V= p (V_f -V_i)`

where

p is the gas pressure

`V_f` is the final volume of the gas

`V_i` is the initial volume of the gas

If the sign of W is positive, it means that the gas is doing work on the surrounding; if the sign of W is negative, it means that the surrounding is doing worn ON the gas.

In this case, since it is a compression, we have that the final volume is smaller than the initial volume:

`V_f < V_i`

Therefore, the sign of W is negative, and therefore work is done ON the gas by the surroundings.