Practice question · Numerical answer
A gas is compressed at a constant external pressure of 200 kPa from 0.050 m to 0.020 m. Compute the work done on the gas, in kJ.
Hints
- Work on the gas is minus the external pressure times the volume change.
- Compute -200 x (0.020 - 0.050), in kPa and cubic metres.
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6 (answers within ±0.2 count)
Why
kJ. Compression means the surroundings do work on the gas, so the sign is positive from the system’s point of view.
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