Question

With a pressure of 1.5 atm (atmosphere), a piston pushes in on the gas in a cylinder, compressing it from 5.1 L to 1.8 L. What is the work done on the gas (in joules)?

Answer 1

To calculate the work done on the gas, we can use the formula: Work = Pressure * Change in Volume. Given the initial and final volumes, as well as the external pressure, we can plug in the values to calculate the work.

Step-by-step explanation:

To calculate the work done on the gas, we can use the formula:

Work = Pressure * Change in Volume

Given that the initial volume is 500 mL (0.5 L), the final volume is 1200 mL (1.2 L), and the external pressure is 5.00 atm, we can plug in these values to calculate the work:

Work = 5.00 atm * (1.2 L - 0.5 L)

This simplifies to:

Work = 5.00 atm * 0.7 L

Work = 3.5 L atm

Now, we can convert this to joules using the conversion factor: 1 L'atm = 101.32 J.

Work = 3.5 L atm * 101.32 J/L atm

Work = 354.12 J