Thermodynamics

Lab 8 (See Chapter 15) involves using thermodynamics to calculate the work done in specific processes and the use this to determine the change in internal energy or the heat transfer via the first law of thermodynamics (ΔE = Q – W).

First start with an isothermal expansion at 2.0 atm from 1.0 L to 4.0 L. An isothermal process means the temperature of a system is constant and there is no internal energy change of the system. The formula describing an isothermal process is W = P*V(0) * ln(V(f)/V(0. (The proof of this formula comes from calculus and will not be shown here). A diagram of an isothermal process can be found in the textbook in Chapter 15.

If this system in now is adiabatically compressed back to its original volume, what is the change in internal energy here?

Also what are some examples of both of these processes in the everyday world?