Physics I / First Law of Thermodynamics
Practice question · Numerical answer

A gas absorbs 500 J of heat and does 300 J of work pushing its piston out. By how much does its internal energy change, in joules?

Hints
  1. First law: ΔU=QWby\Delta U = Q - W_{by}.
  2. Energy in as heat, minus energy out as work.
Show the answer

200 (answers within ±1 count)

Why

ΔU=500300=200\Delta U = 500 - 300 = 200 J. The first law is nothing but energy bookkeeping: heat and work are the only two currencies, and UU is the account balance.

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