Online Exam: Andrews' Experiment

1. In Andrews' experiment, the critical temperature is identified as the temperature at which:

2. The isotherms in Andrews’ experiment show a flat portion at certain temperatures. What physical process does this represent?

3. Using the van der Waals equation, derive the critical constants in terms of the constants \( a \) and \( b \). Which of the following correctly represents the critical volume \( V_c \)?

4. Calculate the work done during the isothermal compression from point A to point B on an isotherm below the critical temperature using the van der Waals equation. Assume 1 mole of gas.

5. For a van der Waals gas undergoing an isothermal expansion from \( V_1 \) to \( V_2 \), what is the condition for the work done to be positive?

6. Using the van der Waals equation, derive the critical pressure \( P_c \) in terms of \( a \) and \( b \). Which of the following is correct?

7. Consider a gas that obeys the van der Waals equation. Which of the following graphs best explains the Andrews isotherms for temperatures below the critical temperature?

8. Which of the following correctly expresses the critical compressibility factor \( Z_c = \frac{P_c V_c}{RT_c} \) for a van der Waals gas?

9. At the critical point, the van der Waals isotherm has:

10. For a van der Waals gas, suppose at temperature \( T = 0.9 T_c \), the isotherm shows a flat horizontal segment between volumes \( V_l \) and \( V_g \). What does the area under this flat portion represent?

11. According to the Zeroth Law of Thermodynamics, if system A is in thermal equilibrium with system B, and B is in thermal equilibrium with system C, then:

12. Derive the condition for thermodynamic equilibrium considering thermal, mechanical, and chemical equilibrium.

13. Derive the isothermal compressibility \( \kappa_T \) of an ideal gas. Use the ideal gas law \( PV = nRT \).

14. Derive the expression for work done during a reversible isothermal expansion of an ideal gas from volume \( V_1 \) to \( V_2 \).

15. Derive the work done in a reversible adiabatic expansion of an ideal gas from \( V_1 \) to \( V_2 \).

16. Show that for an ideal gas, the difference in specific heats is \( C_P - C_V = R \).

17. A system absorbs 300 J of heat and does 100 J of work. What is the change in internal energy?

18. Derive the efficiency of a Carnot engine operating between temperatures \( T_H \) and \( T_C \).

19. A Carnot engine absorbs 800 J from a hot reservoir and expels 500 J to the cold reservoir. What is the work done per cycle?

20. Define the second law of thermodynamics using Clausius' statement.

21. Show how the Kelvin scale of temperature is derived from the efficiency of a Carnot engine.

22. Derive the expression for the coefficient of performance (COP) of a Carnot refrigerator.

23. Define the Clausius-Clapeyron equation and write its form for a liquid-vapour phase transition.

24. A heat pump delivers 1500 J of heat to a room by consuming 500 J of work. What is its coefficient of performance?

25. Show that entropy change \( \Delta S \) for an ideal gas heated from \( T_1 \) to \( T_2 \) at constant volume is \( \Delta S = nC_V \ln\left( \frac{T_2}{T_1} \right) \).

26. Using Clausius' and Kelvin's statements, explain why all heat engines must reject some heat to a cold reservoir and cannot be 100% efficient.

27. A Carnot engine operates between \( T_H = 600\,\mathrm{K} \) and \( T_C = 300\,\mathrm{K} \). Derive its efficiency and calculate how much work is done if it absorbs 900 J of heat from the hot reservoir.

28. Derive the expression for the coefficient of performance (COP) of a Carnot heat pump operating between \( T_H \) and \( T_C \).

29. Derive the Clausius-Clapeyron equation for a first-order phase transition and explain its physical significance.

30. A Carnot refrigerator operates between 277 K and 300 K. Calculate its coefficient of performance (COP).

31. Define entropy and derive its expression for a reversible process. Use the second law to explain the physical meaning of entropy.

32. State and prove the principle of increase of entropy for an isolated system. Which of the following is true for irreversible processes?

33. Derive the expression for the change in entropy during heat conduction between two bodies at temperatures \( T_1 \) and \( T_2 \), where \( T_1 > T_2 \).

34. Calculate the change in entropy for an ideal gas when it is reversibly heated from \( T_1 \) to \( T_2 \) at constant volume. Let \( C_V \) be the specific heat at constant volume.

35. Using a TS diagram, derive the efficiency of a Carnot engine and relate it to entropy changes of the system and reservoirs.

36. Derive any one of Maxwell’s thermodynamic relations starting from a thermodynamic potential and explain the physical significance of the relation.

37. Derive the two TdS equations from the first and second laws of thermodynamics for a simple compressible system.

38. Show that \( C_P - C_V = T \left( \frac{\partial P}{\partial T} \right)_V \left( \frac{\partial V}{\partial T} \right)_P \) using Maxwell relations and the TdS equations.

39. Starting from appropriate thermodynamic potentials, derive the expressions for enthalpy \( H \), Helmholtz free energy \( F \), and Gibbs free energy \( G \).

40. State the third law of thermodynamics and explain its consequences on the behavior of entropy at absolute zero temperature.

41. Derive the equation for steady-state one-dimensional heat conduction through a slab. Define thermal conductivity in terms of heat flux.

42. In Lee’s disc experiment, derive the expression for the thermal conductivity \( k \) of a bad conductor using steady state condition.

43. Define thermal resistance and derive its expression for a conducting slab of thickness \( x \), area \( A \), and thermal conductivity \( k \).

44. Define energy flux, intensity, and radiant emittance. Which of the following correctly expresses Stefan's law of radiation?

45. A black body emits thermal radiation with a power \( Q \). If its absolute temperature is doubled, what happens to the power emitted?

46. Define microstates and macrostates. Derive the relation between entropy and the number of microstates \( \Omega \) using Boltzmann’s principle.

47. Explain the concept of phase space. For a system of \( N \) particles, how many dimensions does the phase space have? Distinguish between \( \mu \)-space and \( \Gamma \)-space.

48. State and explain the principle of equal a priori probability. Derive its implication in microcanonical ensemble.

49. Explain the ergodic hypothesis. How is it related to statistical equilibrium and time averages?

50. Derive the expression for the number of microstates \( \Omega(E) \) for a microcanonical ensemble confined to energy shell \( [E, E + \delta E] \).

51. Define the canonical ensemble. Derive the expression for the canonical partition function \( Z \).

52. Using the canonical ensemble, derive an expression for the average energy \( \langle E \rangle \) in terms of the partition function \( Z \).

53. Derive the equipartition theorem and show that each quadratic degree of freedom contributes \( \frac{1}{2}kT \) to the average energy.

54. Define the grand canonical ensemble. Derive the grand partition function \( \mathcal{Z} \) and the average particle number.

55. Explain how the partition function encodes the thermodynamic properties of a system. Which of the following quantities can be derived from it?

56. Derive the Maxwell-Boltzmann distribution function for a classical ideal gas.

57. Derive the Fermi-Dirac distribution function for indistinguishable fermions and explain its significance at \( T = 0 \).

58. Derive the Bose-Einstein distribution law for indistinguishable bosons and explain the conditions under which Bose-Einstein condensation occurs.

59. Using Maxwell-Boltzmann distribution, derive the expression for the average energy of a particle in a classical ideal gas.

60. Show that the Fermi energy is the energy of the highest occupied level at absolute zero. Derive an expression for Fermi energy \( \epsilon_F \) of a 3D free electron gas.

61. A classical gas of \( N \) particles occupies volume \( V \). Using MB statistics, derive the expression for the number of particles with energy between \( \epsilon \) and \( \epsilon + d\epsilon \).

62. Compare the three distributions — MB, BE, and FD — and determine their limits when \( (\epsilon - \mu) \gg kT \).

63. At what temperature does Bose-Einstein condensation begin? Derive an expression for the critical temperature \( T_c \) for an ideal Bose gas in 3D.

64. For a 3D Fermi gas at \( T = 0 \), derive the total energy and show that the average energy per particle is \( \frac{3}{5} \epsilon_F \).

65. Derive the expression for pressure of a Fermi gas at \( T = 0 \) and show that it is related to the Fermi energy.


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