WORK DONE ON AN IDEAL GASES

(Lecture # 14)

BY: MS. RABIA TANVEER

COURSE: INTRO TO HEAT & THERMODYNAMICS
BS MATHS:(SEMESTER-II)
Today’s contents include:

 Work done on an ideal gas during isochoric, isobaric and isothermal process.
 Work done on an ideal gas…..

 Consider a gas contained in a cylinder

having movable piston. We raise the
temperature of gas, the gas expands and
moves the piston up.
 The upward force exerted by the gas due
to its pressure is F = PA , where A is the dx
area of the piston. By Newton’s 3rd law of
motion, the piston exerts an equal and
opposite force on the gas.
So the work done on the gas is: P = F/A
Continued…
 
⇒ ………. (1)

  If dx is the distance covered by the gas

then:

... (2)

( 1800 because direction of force exerted by the

piston on the gas and force exerted by the gas
on piston are opposite.
Continued….

⇒
 
⇒ …… (3) ∴
m2.m = m3
( where dV is change in volume of gas after expansion)

Total work done by the gas will be:

………. (4)

If Vi is initial volume of gas & Vf is the final volume then:

𝑉𝑓
 
𝑊 =− 𝑃∫ 𝑑𝑉 =− 𝑃 (𝑉 𝑓 − 𝑉 𝑖)
𝑉𝑖
Continued….
So work done is:

 
W=

This equation shows that:

Work done on the gas during expansion is negative. (By the system)
Work done on the gas during compression is positive. (On the system)
Work done during Isochoric process….

The work is zero in the process in which volume remains

constant i.e. dV = 0 and hence W = 0 as shown along path AB
and CD.
𝑉𝑓
 
𝑊 =− 𝑃∫ 𝑑𝑉 =− 𝑃 (𝑉 𝑓 − 𝑉 𝑖)
𝑉𝑖

  Since :
Work Done during Isobaric process…

 The process during which pressure remains constant

is an isobaric process as indicated by BD and AC in the fig.
Work done during isobaric process is:
𝑉𝑓
 
𝑊 =− 𝑃∫ 𝑑𝑉 =− 𝑃 (𝑉 𝑓 − 𝑉 𝑖)
𝑉𝑖
Work done on the gas is negative for path BD, because the volume increases along BD
Work done on the gas is positive for path CA, because the volume decreases along CA.
Work done during isothermal process…