A cylinder containing 1.0 mole of an ideal gas of rigid diatomic molecules and closed by a movable piston is kept submerged in an ice-water mixture so that the whole system stays at constant temperature.

Initially in State A, the gas occupies a volume V1.
The piston is moved rapidly down the cylinder to give State B with volume V2.
The piston is held stationary until the gas is again at the temperature of the ice-water mixture (state C).
Finally the piston is moved slowly such that the gas undergoes an isothermal expansion back to the original volume V1.

Question

A cylinder containing 1.0 mole of an ideal gas of rigid diatomic molecules and closed by a movable piston is kept submerged in an ice-water mixture so that the whole system stays at constant temperature.

Initially in State A, the gas occupies a volume V1.
The piston is moved rapidly down the cylinder to give State B with volume V2.
The piston is held stationary until the gas is again at the temperature of the ice-water mixture (state C).
Finally the piston is moved slowly such that the gas undergoes an isothermal expansion back to the original volume V1.

anonymous · Answer

(a) If the piston is moved rapidly between State A and State B, what type of process does this approximate to?
(b) Carefully sketch a P-V diagram that illustrates all of these processes.
(c) If V2 = (3V)/4, determine the temperature of the gas in state B.