Question

A system that does no work but which transfers heat to the surroundings has ___________________.

Answer
a. q < 0, ∆E > 0
b. q > 0, ∆E < 0
c. q > 0, ∆E > 0
d. q < 0, ∆E < 0
e. q < 0, ∆E = 0

Answer 1

A system that only transfers heat to its surroundings and does no work has q < 0 and ΔE < 0, due to losing heat to the surroundings.

Therefore, the correct answer is option e. q < 0, ∆E = 0.

Step-by-step explanation:

A system that does no work but which transfers heat to the surroundings has q < 0, ΔE < 0. This is because when a system transfers heat to its surroundings, it is losing heat, and therefore, the heat q is negative.

Since no work is being done (W = 0), the first law of thermodynamics, which states that the change in internal energy (ΔE) is equal to the heat added to the system (q) plus the work done by the system (W), simplifies to ΔE = q + W. With q negative and W zero, ΔE must also be negative.

When heat is transferred to a system from its surroundings, the process is endothermic. By convention, q> 0 for an endothermic reaction.

Note as well that since the system is isolated, no heat has been exchanged with the surroundings (q = 0). The first law of thermodynamics confirms that there has been no change in the system's internal energy as a result of this process.