Learning Material Statistical Physics

A Introduction

Thermodynamics is the study of systems involving energy in the form of

heat and work. A good example of a thermodynamic system is gas confined by a
piston in a cylinder. If the gas is heated, it will expand, doing work on the piston.
This is one example of how a thermodynamic system can do work. Work is
simply a force multiplied by the distance moved in the direction of the force. A
good example of a thermodynamic system that can do work is the gas confined
by a piston in a cylinder, as shown in the diagram.

Fig 1. A Gas Heat in A Cylinder

A process by which a gas does work on a piston at constant pressure is

called an isobaric process. Since the pressure is constant, the force exerted is
constant and the work done is given as
W  p V
An isobaric expansion of a gas requires heat transfer to keep the pressure
constant. Since pressure is constant, the work done is p V. Note that if V is

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positive, then W is positive, meaning that work is done by the gas on the outside
world.
To explain the phenomenon of the expansion of a gas in the piston when
heated the following assumptions are used:
a. An expanding gas can move the piston
b. The piston moves with a velocity u is smaller than the velocity of the
molecule and the gas is maintained in an equilibrium state
c. From a thermodynamic point of view, this process is reversible, namely the
process can return to its initial state
d. When a molecule collides perfectly elastic with a wall, the magnitude of the
normal component of velocity does not change.

B Loss of Kinetic Energy

To analyze collisions between molecules with a moving wall, it can be seen

the motion of a molecule in a cylinder provided with a piston. Let the piston move
up with a velocity u, small in comparison with molecular velocities and small
enough so that the gas remains practically in an equilibrium state. From the
thermodynamics viewpoint, then the process is reversible. Consider a molecule
moving with velocity v in a cylinder. The velocity of the molecule forms an angle
 with a normal line. If the molecule collides the rigid wall, then the molecule will
be reflected by the wall to form an angle 1 with normal line. Collisions between
molecules and a wall are perfectly elastic. Molecular velocity before colliding a
wall and before colliding a wall can be seen in Figure 2

v1 v
1 

Fig 2. A Molecule Moves in A Cylinder

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From the Figure 2, u is the velocity of the piston. The value of the piston
velocity is smaller than the velocity of the molecule. The symbol v is the velocity
of molecule before colliding the wall,  is the angle of molecule velocity v to the
normal line, v1 is velocity of molecule after colliding the wall, and 1 is the angle
of molecule velocity v1 to the normal line.
Components of the molecular velocity before colliding the wall
vx  v cos 
vy  v sin 

Molecule moves away from wall and wall also move away from molecule. The
normal component of molecular velocity after colliding a piston wall is
v1N  v cos   2u
The kinetic energy of the a molecule before it collides the wall

m v cos 
1
Ek 
2
The kinetic energy of the molecule after colliding a wall

m v cos   2u 
1
E1k 
2

2
Because the piston wall moves upward causing loss of kinetic energy in the
collision. The difference in kinetic energy is the same as the lost of the kinetic in
collision between molecules and wall
E k  E k  E1k

E k  2 m u v cos   2 m u 2
The lost of kinetic energy in collision between molecule and wall for one
molecule is
Ek  2 m u v cos 
The loss of kinetic energy of one molecule depends on the direction but it does
not depend on the direction 
The number of molecules reaching the wall per unit area and per unit time
with speed between v dan v + dv, direction between  dan +d, and direction
between  and +d

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d 5n vAt 1
 v dn v sin  cos d d
dA dt 4

Because the kinetic energy of the molecules do not depend on direction of , the
number of molecules arriving at the wall depends only on the speed of v and
direction of 
d 4 n vAt 1
 v dn v sin  cos  d
dA dt 2
The number of molecules per unit area and per unit time with the speed between
v and v + dv and the direction between  and + d is equal to the number of
collisions between molecules and wall.
The loss of the kinetic energy in collision for a number of the molecules with
speed between v and v+dv and direction between  and  + d per unit area and
per uni time is
d 4 E kvAt d 4 n vAt
 E k
dA dt dA dt

d 4 E kvAt
 m u v 2 dn v cos2  sin 
dA dt

The loss of kinetic energy in collision between molecules and wall for a
number of molecules with the speed between v and v + dv for all directions per
unit are and per unit time can be written as
d 3E kvAt /2

dA dt
 m u v 2 dn v 
0
cos2  sin  d

d 3E kvAt 1
 m u v 2 dn v
dA dt 3
The loss of kinetic energy in collision between a number of molecules with
the wall per unit are and per unit time for all speeds and all directions is
d 2 E kAt 1
 m u  v 2 dn v
dA dt 3

d 2 E kAt 1
 n m u v2 u
dA dt 3

If the wall surface area of the piston is denoted by A, then the loss of the total
kinetic energy of a number of molecules for all A areas can be written as
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Learning Material Statistical Physics

d 2 E kAt 1
 n m u v2 u A
dt 3
The pressure of a number of molecules on the wall has been expressed in form
1
p n m v2
3
The loss of kinetic energy from a number of molecules in collision between
molecules and wall
dEkt
 pAu
dt

dEkt
 FuP
dt
The loss of kinetic energy of a gas per unit area and per unit time convert into the
power. The loss of kinetic energy of a gas can be expressed as
dEk  F u dt  p A u dt
dEk  F u dt  p A u dt
dEk  p dV
dEk  p dV  dW
The loss of kinetic energy from a gas from collision between a number of
molecules with a wall is work which done by a gas to move the piston. In other
words, the loss of kinetic energy loss of a gas in the collision is converted into a
work by a gas to move the piston. Therefore, the collision theory between
molecules and moving wall can explain the interesting phenomenon in
thermodynamics that is a gas is heated in a cylinder can move a piston.

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