Cp vs Cv

[Henry_2A]

Hi!

Could someone explain the difference between Cp and Cv and why this distinction is so important?

[Aditya Desai 1A]

Cp refers to when pressure is constant; Cv for volume

diff eqs and interactions depending on environment

[Noah Ho 1F]

Cp represents the heat capacity of gas at constant pressure, while Cv represents the heat capacity of a gas at constant volume. This is significant because when we're heating a gas at constant pressure, the volume of the gas will expand. As the volume of the gas expands, work is being done. This work makes the Cp > than Cv because Cv doesn't have to account for the work of expansion.

[Misha_Khan_2H]

Cp is the specific heat of a gas at constant pressure.
Cv is the specific heat of a gas at a constant volume.
It is important to be able to differentiate between them as the pressure change is zero for a system under Cp and volume change is zero for a system under Cv, so the systems interact differently.

[Nicole Ton 3C]

Cp is the molar heat capacity of a gas under conditions of constant pressure. Cv is the molar heat capacity of a gas under conditions of constant value. This is an important distinction because when pressure is constant, if you heat a gas in a beaker with a piston, then the volume must increase. The piston must be moved up, meaning work is being done. However, if the volume is constant, the piston can't move so when the gas is heated, no work can be done and no energy is lost. So, under the same conditions Cp>Cv since Cv does not involve work of expansion. It is also important to note that this distinction only applies to gases, not solids and liquids.

[Eszter Kovacs 1A]

Cp is molar heat capacity at constant pressure, Cv is molar heat capacity at constant volume.

[austinchun]

Cp is the molar heat capacity when pressure is constant while Cv is the molar heat capacity when volume is constant. The Cp value is going to be higher than the Cv value.

[Nandini_Parmar_1I]

You can also remember the formula Cp = Cv + R if you ever get confused which has a larger value.

[Amanda Dankberg 1B]

Cp is constant pressure and Cv is constant volume

[Jessica Servoss 1H]

We use the term "Cp" to describe the molar heat capacity when there is a constant pressure on a gas system. "Cv" is used to describe the molar heat capacity of a gas system that has a constant volume.

[OishiBhattacharya2K]

Cv is the molar heat capacity of a gas at a constant volume, and Cp is the molar heat capacity of a gas at constant pressure. Cv relates to internal energy, whereas Cp relates to enthalpy.

[Jillian Sarquiz- 2B]

Cp is for constant pressure and Cv is for constant volume. So these are important since it takes into account the conditions.

[505706331]

cp is heat capacity for constant pressure while cv is the heat capacity for constant v.