Question

A movable piston having a mass of 8.00 kg and a cross-sectional area of 5.00 cm2 traps 0.430 moles of an ideal gas in a vertical cylinder. If the piston slides without friction in the cylinder, how much work is done on the gas when its temperature is increased from 17°C to 297°C?

Answer 1

We can assume the process to be adiabatic such that we can make use of the formula:
W = R (T2 - T1) / (γ - 1)
W = 8.314 (297 - 17) / (1.4 - 1)
W = 700 J/mole
multiplying the number of moles
W = 700 (0.43)
W = 301 J
The work done is 301 J.