Consider a system consisting of the following apparatus, in
which...

Question

Consider a system consisting of the following apparatus, in which gas is confined in one flask and there is a vacuum in the other flask. The flasks are separated by a valve. Assume that the flasks are perfectly insulated and will not allow the flow of heat into or out of the flasks to the surroundings. When the valve is opened, gas flows from the filled flask to the evacuated one. (a) Is work performed during the expansion of the gas? (b) Why or why not?

Accepted Answer

Hi everyone. This problem reads, a gas is confined in one container and is attached to two other containers that are completely empty, assuming that the containers are perfectly insulated and will not allow the flow of heat into or out of the containers to the surroundings, identify if work is performed during the expansion of the gas. When the valves are open. Okay, so here we see our container in the middle and when the valves are opened, the gas expands to the empty containers. Okay, So the gas is going to expand this way and the gas is going to expand that way. Since these two containers on the end are completely empty, there is nothing to be pushed back. So let's recall work occurs if there is movement in the direction of the force and here we see where our forces going, our forces going to the right and to the left, and since the containers are empty, there is nothing to be pushed back, meaning work is not done. Okay, So our answer for this problem is work is not done, and that reason is because these two containers are empty, so there is no force to be pushed in the opposite direction. That's it for this problem, I hope this was helpful

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