Internal Energy Question?
The internal energy of a gas is 529 J. The gas is compressed adiabatically, and its volume decreases by 137 cm3. If the pressure applied on the gas during compression is 3.05 atm, what is the internal energy of the gas after the adiabatic compression?
I just need the formula or a jump start to start the problem. Please help! I know internal energy = -W
Answers & Comments
Verified answer
When the gas is compressed adiabatically, that means work is done on the gas, but no heat enters or leaves the gas. So the work done equals the increase in internal energy.
So find the work done at constant pressure using WD = pressure x volume change
The pressure must be in pascals (Pa) so you need to convert 3.05atm to Pa.
The volume change must be in m^3, so convert 137cm^3 to m^3
This gives the work done in joules.
This is the energy supplied to the gas, so add it to the initial internal energy to get the final internal energy.