delta U for Isothermal Expansion of Ideal Gas
Moderators: Chem_Mod, Chem_Admin
-
Lily Guo 1D
- Posts: 64
- Joined: Fri Sep 29, 2017 7:03 am
delta U for Isothermal Expansion of Ideal Gas
Why does delta U = 0 for the isothermal expansion of an ideal gas?
-
Tiffany 1B
- Posts: 32
- Joined: Fri Sep 29, 2017 7:05 am
Re: delta U for Isothermal Expansion of Ideal Gas
The equation for an ideal gas is U=3/2*nRT. When you're calculating the change in internal energy, the number of moles and the gas constant are constant values and that means the change in internal energy is dependent upon temperature change. But in an isothermal expansion temperature doesn't change. Therefore, delta T=0 and U=3/2*nR*(0)=0. Hope that helps.
-
Lily Guo 1D
- Posts: 64
- Joined: Fri Sep 29, 2017 7:03 am
Re: delta U for Isothermal Expansion of Ideal Gas
Tiffany 1B wrote:The equation for an ideal gas is U=3/2*nRT. When you're calculating the change in internal energy, the number of moles and the gas constant are constant values and that means the change in internal energy is dependent upon temperature change. But in an isothermal expansion temperature doesn't change. Therefore, delta T=0 and U=3/2*nR*(0)=0. Hope that helps.
Thank you, that was super helpful!
Return to “Concepts & Calculations Using First Law of Thermodynamics”
Who is online
Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 11 guests