Worksheet

Question 1

(a) Write an equation to represent the first law of thermodynamics.

(b) Use the first law of thermodynamics to answer the following.
(i) When 5.0 J of heat is supplied to a system, the work done by the system is 3.0 J. What is
the change in the internal energy of the system?
(ii) The pressure of a gas in a closed rigid container of volume 0.26 m3 is 2.0 x 105 Pa. 50 J
of heat is supplied to the gas. What is the work done by the gas, and the change in the
internal energy of the gas?

Question 2

The volume of an ideal gas changes from 0.28 m3 to 0.20 m3 at constant pressure of 1.5 x 105 Pa.
Calculate the work done by the gas.

Question 3

The volume of 2.0 moles of an ideal gas increases from 0.80 m3 to 1.40 m3 at constant temperature of
360K.
(i) What is the change in the internal energy?
(ii) Discuss whether work is done by the gas or on the gas.
(iii) Account for the energy involved in (ii) above.

Question 4

The figure shows an ideal gas in a cylinder of cross-sectional area 10.0 cm2 fitted with a frictionless
piston.

16.0 cm

When 30.0 J of heat is supplied to the gas, the piston moves through a distance 16.0 cm under constant
pressure of 1.01 x 105 Pa.

(a) Calculate the work done by the gas.

(b) The increase in internal energy of the gas.
Question 5

When water boils at 100 oC and atmospheric pressure of 1.01 x 105 Pa, 1.00 cm3 of water becomes
1600 cm3 of steam. The latent heat of vaporization of water is 2.26 x 106 J kg-1.

(a) What is the heat required to change 0.200 kg of water into steam?
(b) Calculate the work done against the atmospheric pressure.
(c) Account for the difference in the answers to (i) and (ii).

Question 6

A fixed mass of an ideal gas undergoes the change A→B→C as shown in the figure below.

p / 105 Pa

4
C

2
A B

0 2 4 6
V / 10-3 m3

(a) Calculate the work done in the process

(i) A→B
(ii) B→C
(b) If 800 J of heat is supplied to the gas in the process A→B→C, find the increase in the internal
energy of the gas.