Information
•
Textbooks
•
Media
•
Resources edited by
JCE SymMath: Symbolic Mathematics in Chemistry
Theresa Julia Zielinski Monmouth University West Long Branch, NJ 07764-1898
Work Done during Reversible and Irreversible Isothermal Expansion of an Ideal Gas by Arthur Ferguson, Department of Chemistry, Worcester State College, Worcester, MA 01602-2597 File names: IsothermalExpansionWork2001i.mcd, IsothermalExpansionWork.pdf, IsothermalExpansionWork8.mcd Keywords: Physical Chemistry, Upper Division Undergraduate, Gases, Thermodynamics, Computer-Based Instruction, Symbolic Mathematics Requires Mathcad 8, 2001i or higher
This template examines how the work associated with stepwise irreversible isothermal expansion and compression of an ideal gas changes as the number of expansion or compression steps increases (Figure 1). This template uses the graphing power of Mathcad to lead the user to discover that the work approaches an asymp-
606
Journal of Chemical Education
•
Figure 1. Work (kJ/mole) as a function of the number of isothermal steps (NSTEPS) in the stepwise irreversible expansion of an ideal gas.
tote as the number of steps becomes very large and that the asymptote is the work for the reversible expansion or compression. It then challenges the user to recognize that the work for the reversible expansion or compression represents a limiting value for the work for the corresponding irreversible processes.
Vol. 81 No. 4 April 2004
•
www.JCE.DivCHED.org
