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Chapter 15: Thermodynamics

40 problems · 4 figures

15-1 §15.1 source ↗

What is the change in internal energy of a car if you put 12.0 gal of gasoline into its tank? The energy content of gasoline is 1 . 3 × 10 8 J/gal . All other factors, such as the car’s temperature, are constant.

Answer

1 . 6 × 10 9 J

15-3 §15.1 source ↗

A system does 1.80×108 J of work while 7.50×108 J of heat transfer occurs to the environment. What is the change in internal energy of the system assuming no other changes (such as in temperature or by the addition of fuel)?

Answer

- 9 . 30 × 10 8 J

15-5 §15.1 source ↗

Suppose a woman does 500 J of work and 9500 J of heat transfer occurs into the environment in the process. (a) What is the decrease in her internal energy, assuming no change in temperature or consumption of food? (That is, there is no other energy transfer.) (b) What is her efficiency?

Answer

(a) − 1 . 0 × 10 4 J , or − 2 . 39 kcal

(b) 5.00%

15-7 §15.1 source ↗

(a) What is the average metabolic rate in watts of a man who metabolizes 10,500 kJ of food energy in one day? (b) What is the maximum amount of work in joules he can do without breaking down fat, assuming a maximum efficiency of 20.0%? (c) Compare his work output with the daily output of a 187-W (0.250-horsepower) motor.

Answer

(a) 122 W

(b) 2.10×106 J

(c) Work done by the motor is 1.61×107 J ;thus the motor produces 7.67 times the work done by the man

15-9 §15.1 source ↗

(a) A woman climbing the Washington Monument metabolizes 6 . 00 × 10 2 kJ of food energy. If her efficiency is 18.0%, how much heat transfer occurs to the environment to keep her temperature constant? (b) Discuss the amount of heat transfer found in (a). Is it consistent with the fact that you quickly warm up when exercising?

Answer

(a) 492 kJ

(b) This amount of heat is consistent with the fact that you warm quickly when exercising. Since the body is inefficient, the excess heat produced must be dissipated through sweating, breathing, etc.

15-10 §15.2 source ↗

A car tire contains 0.0380m3 of nitrogen at a gauge pressure of 2.20×105 N/m2 (about 32 psi). How much more internal energy does this gas have than the same volume has at zero gauge pressure (which is equivalent to normal atmospheric pressure)? (Use Eint=52NkT for the internal energy of nitrogen, a diatomic gas.)

Answer

2.09 × 10 4 J

15-12 §15.2 source ↗

Steam to drive an old-fashioned steam locomotive is supplied at a constant gauge pressure of 1.75×106 N/m2 (about 250 psi) to a piston with a 0.200-m radius. (a) By calculating PΔV, find the work done by the steam when the piston moves 0.800 m. Note that this is the net work output, since gauge pressure is used. (b) Now find the amount of work by calculating the force exerted times the distance traveled. Is the answer the same as in part (a)?

Answer

(a) W = PΔV = 1 . 76 × 10 5 J

(b) W= Fd= 1.76×105 J. Yes, the answer is the same.

15-14 §15.2 source ↗

Calculate the net work output of a heat engine following path ABCDA in the figure below.
Figure 15.41 in the book ↗

Answer

W = 4 . 5 × 10 3 J

15-16 §15.2 source ↗

Unreasonable Results

What is wrong with the claim that a cyclical heat engine does 4.00 kJ of work on an input of 24.0 kJ of heat transfer while 16.0 kJ of heat transfers to the environment?

Answer

W is not equal to the difference between the heat input and the heat output.

15-20 §15.3 source ↗

A certain heat engine does 10.0 kJ of work and 8.50 kJ of heat transfer occurs to the environment in a cyclical process. (a) What was the heat transfer into this engine? (b) What was the engine’s efficiency?

Answer

(a) 18.5 kJ

(b) 54.1%

15-22 §15.3 source ↗

(a) What is the work output of a cyclical heat engine having a 22.0% efficiency and 6.00×109 J of heat transfer into the engine? (b) How much heat transfer occurs to the environment?

Answer

(a) 1.32 × 10 9 J

(b) 4.68 × 10 9 J

15-24 §15.3 source ↗

The engine of a large ship does 2.00×108 J of work with an efficiency of 5.00%. (a) How much heat transfer occurs to the environment? (b) How many barrels of fuel are consumed, if each barrel produces 6.00×109 J of heat transfer when burned?

Answer

(a) 3.80 × 10 9 J

(b) 0.667 barrels

15-26 §15.3 source ↗

Assume that the turbines at a coal-powered power plant were upgraded, resulting in an improvement in efficiency of 3.32%. Assume that prior to the upgrade the power station had an efficiency of 36% and that the heat transfer into the engine in one day is still the same at 2.50×1014 J. (a) How much more electrical energy is produced due to the upgrade? (b) How much less heat transfer occurs to the environment due to the upgrade?

Answer

(a) 8.30 × 10 12 J , which is 3.32% of 2.50 × 10 14 J .

(b) –8.30 × 10 12 J , where the negative sign indicates a reduction in heat transfer to the environment.

15-28 §15.4 source ↗

A certain gasoline engine has an efficiency of 30.0%. What would the hot reservoir temperature be for a Carnot engine having that efficiency, if it operates with a cold reservoir temperature of 200ºC?

Answer

403 º C

15-30 §15.4 source ↗

(a) What is the hot reservoir temperature of a Carnot engine that has an efficiency of 42.0% and a cold reservoir temperature of 27.0ºC? (b) What must the hot reservoir temperature be for a real heat engine that achieves 0.700 of the maximum efficiency, but still has an efficiency of 42.0% (and a cold reservoir at 27.0ºC)? (c) Does your answer imply practical limits to the efficiency of car gasoline engines?

Answer

(a) 244ºC

(b) 477ºC

(c)Yes, since automobiles engines cannot get too hot without overheating, their efficiency is limited.

15-32 §15.4 source ↗

Practical steam engines utilize 450ºC steam, which is later exhausted at 270ºC. (a) What is the maximum efficiency that such a heat engine can have? (b) Since 270ºC steam is still quite hot, a second steam engine is sometimes operated using the exhaust of the first. What is the maximum efficiency of the second engine if its exhaust has a temperature of 150ºC? (c) What is the overall efficiency of the two engines? (d) Show that this is the same efficiency as a single Carnot engine operating between 450ºC and 150ºC. Explicitly show how you follow the steps in the Problem-Solving Strategies for Thermodynamics.

Answer

(a) Eff 1 = 1 − T c,1 T h,1 = 1 − 543 K 723 K = 0 . 249 or 24 . 9%

(b) Eff 2 = 1 − 423 K 543 K = 0 . 221 or 22 . 1%

(c) Eff 1 = 1 − T c,1 T h,1 ⇒ T c,1 = T h,1 1 − eff 1 similarly, T c,2 = T h,2 1 − Eff 2 using T h,2 = T c,1 in above equation gives T c,2 = T h,1 1 − Eff 1 1 − Eff 2 ≡ T h,1 1 − Eff overall ∴ 1 − Eff overall = 1 − Eff 1 1 − Eff 2 Eff overall = 1 − 1 − 0 . 249 1 − 0 . 221 = 41 . 5%

(d) Eff overall = 1 − 423 K 723 K = 0 . 415 or 41 . 5%

15-34 §15.4 source ↗

Would you be willing to financially back an inventor who is marketing a device that she claims has 25 kJ of heat transfer at 600 K, has heat transfer to the environment at 300 K, and does 12 kJ of work? Explain your answer.

Answer

The heat transfer to the cold reservoir is Q c = Q h − W = 25 kJ − 12 kJ = 13 kJ , so the efficiency is Eff = 1 − Q c Q h = 1 − 13 kJ 25 kJ = 0 . 48 . The Carnot efficiency is Eff C = 1 − T c T h = 1 − 300 K 600 K = 0 . 50 . The actual efficiency is 96% of the Carnot efficiency, which is much higher than the best-ever achieved of about 70%, so her scheme is likely to be fraudulent.

15-36 §15.4 source ↗

Unreasonable Results

Calculate the cold reservoir temperature of a steam engine that uses hot steam at 450ºC and has a Carnot efficiency of 0.700. (b) What is unreasonable about the temperature? (c) Which premise is unreasonable?

Answer

(a) –56.3ºC

(b) The temperature is too cold for the output of a steam engine (the local environment). It is below the freezing point of water.

(c) The assumed efficiency is too high.

15-37 §15.5 source ↗

What is the coefficient of performance of an ideal heat pump that has heat transfer from a cold temperature of −25.0ºC to a hot temperature of 40.0ºC?

Answer

4.82

15-39 §15.5 source ↗

What is the best coefficient of performance possible for a hypothetical refrigerator that could make liquid nitrogen at −200ºC and has heat transfer to the environment at 35.0ºC?

Answer

0.311

15-41 §15.5 source ↗

(a) What is the best coefficient of performance for a heat pump that has a hot reservoir temperature of 50.0ºC and a cold reservoir temperature of −20.0ºC? (b) How much heat transfer occurs into the warm environment if 3.60×107 J of work (10.0 kW⋅h) is put into it? (c) If the cost of this work input is 10.0 cents/kW⋅h, how does its cost compare with the direct heat transfer achieved by burning natural gas at a cost of 85.0 cents per therm. (A therm is a common unit of energy for natural gas and equals 1.055×108 J.)

Answer

(a) 4.61

(b) 1 . 66 × 10 8 J or 3 . 97 × 10 4 kcal

(c) To transfer 1 . 66 × 10 8 J , heat pump costs $1.00, natural gas costs $1.34.

15-43 §15.5 source ↗

Suppose you want to operate an ideal refrigerator with a cold temperature of −10.0ºC, and you would like it to have a coefficient of performance of 7.00. What is the hot reservoir temperature for such a refrigerator?

Answer

27.6ºC

15-45 §15.5 source ↗

A 4-ton air conditioner removes 5.06×107 J (48,000 British thermal units) from a cold environment in 1.00 h. (a) What energy input in joules is necessary to do this if the air conditioner has an energy efficiency rating ( EER ) of 12.0? (b) What is the cost of doing this if the work costs 10.0 cents per 3.60×106 J (one kilowatt-hour)? (c) Discuss whether this cost seems realistic. Note that the energy efficiency rating ( EER ) of an air conditioner or refrigerator is defined to be the number of British thermal units of heat transfer from a cold environment per hour divided by the watts of power input.

Answer

(a) 1 . 44 × 10 7 J

(b) 40 cents

(c) This cost seems quite realistic; it says that running an air conditioner all day would cost $9.59 (if it ran continuously).

15-47 §15.6 source ↗

(a) On a winter day, a certain house loses 5.00×108 J of heat to the outside (about 500,000 Btu). What is the total change in entropy due to this heat transfer alone, assuming an average indoor temperature of 21.0º C and an average outdoor temperature of 5.00º C? (b) This large change in entropy implies a large amount of energy has become unavailable to do work. Where do we find more energy when such energy is lost to us?

Answer

(a) 9.78 × 10 4 J/K

(b) In order to gain more energy, we must generate it from things within the house, like a heat pump, human bodies, and other appliances. As you know, we use a lot of energy to keep our houses warm in the winter because of the loss of heat to the outside.

15-49 §15.6 source ↗

A hot rock ejected from a volcano’s lava fountain cools from 1100º C to 40.0º C, and its entropy decreases by 950 J/K. How much heat transfer occurs from the rock?

Answer

8.01 × 10 5 J

15-51 §15.6 source ↗

The Sun radiates energy at the rate of 3.80×1026 W from its 5500º C surface into dark empty space (a negligible fraction radiates onto Earth and the other planets). The effective temperature of deep space is −270º C. (a) What is the increase in entropy in one day due to this heat transfer? (b) How much work is made unavailable?

Answer

(a) 1.04×1031 J/K

(b) 3.28×1031 J

15-53 §15.6 source ↗

What is the decrease in entropy of 25.0 g of water that condenses on a bathroom mirror at a temperature of 35.0º C, assuming no change in temperature and given the latent heat of vaporization to be 2450 kJ/kg?

Answer

199 J/K

15-55 §15.6 source ↗

A large electrical power station generates 1000 MW of electricity with an efficiency of 35.0%. (a) Calculate the heat transfer to the power station, Qh, in one day. (b) How much heat transfer Qc occurs to the environment in one day? (c) If the heat transfer in the cooling towers is from 35.0º C water into the local air mass, which increases in temperature from 18.0º C to 20.0º C, what is the total increase in entropy due to this heat transfer? (d) How much energy becomes unavailable to do work because of this increase in entropy, assuming an 18.0º C lowest temperature? (Part of Qc could be utilized to operate heat engines or for simply heating the surroundings, but it rarely is.)

Answer

(a) 2.47×1014 J

(b) 1.60×1014 J

(c) 2.85×1010 J/K

(d) 8.29×1012 J

15-57 §15.7 source ↗

Using Table 15.4, verify the contention that if you toss 100 coins each second, you can expect to get 100 heads or 100 tails once in 2×1022 years; calculate the time to two-digit accuracy.
Table 15.4 100-Coin Toss in the book ↗
Macrostate Number of microstates
Heads Tails (W)
100 0 1
99 1 1 . 0 × 10 2
95 5 7 . 5 × 10 7
90 10 1 . 7 × 10 13
75 25 2 . 4 × 10 23
60 40 1 . 4 × 10 28
55 45 6 . 1 × 10 28
51 49 9 . 9 × 10 28
50 50 1 . 0 × 10 29
49 51 9 . 9 × 10 28
45 55 6 . 1 × 10 28
40 60 1 . 4 × 10 28
25 75 2 . 4 × 10 23
10 90 1 . 7 × 10 13
5 95 7 . 5 × 10 7
1 99 1 . 0 × 10 2
0 100 1
Total: 1.27×1030

Answer

It should happen twice in every 1.27 × 1030 s or once in every 6.35× 1029 s (6.35 × 10 29 s) (1 h 3600 s) (1 d24 h) (1 y365.25 d) = 2.0× 1022 y

15-59 §15.7 source ↗

(a) If tossing 100 coins, how many ways (microstates) are there to get the three most likely macrostates of 49 heads and 51 tails, 50 heads and 50 tails, and 51 heads and 49 tails? (b) What percent of the total possibilities is this? (Consult Table 15.4.)
Table 15.4 100-Coin Toss in the book ↗
Macrostate Number of microstates
Heads Tails (W)
100 0 1
99 1 1 . 0 × 10 2
95 5 7 . 5 × 10 7
90 10 1 . 7 × 10 13
75 25 2 . 4 × 10 23
60 40 1 . 4 × 10 28
55 45 6 . 1 × 10 28
51 49 9 . 9 × 10 28
50 50 1 . 0 × 10 29
49 51 9 . 9 × 10 28
45 55 6 . 1 × 10 28
40 60 1 . 4 × 10 28
25 75 2 . 4 × 10 23
10 90 1 . 7 × 10 13
5 95 7 . 5 × 10 7
1 99 1 . 0 × 10 2
0 100 1
Total: 1.27×1030

Answer

(a) 3.0×1029

(b) 24%

15-61 §15.7 source ↗

(a) What is the change in entropy if you start with 10 coins in the 5 heads and 5 tails macrostate, toss them, and get 2 heads and 8 tails? (b) How much more likely is 5 heads and 5 tails than 2 heads and 8 tails? (Take the ratio of the number of microstates to find out.) (c) If you were betting on 2 heads and 8 tails would you accept odds of 252 to 45? Explain why or why not.

Answer

(a) -2.38×10–23 J/K

(b) 5.6 times more likely

(c) If you were betting on two heads and 8 tails, the odds of breaking even are 252 to 45, so on average you would break even. So, no, you wouldn’t bet on odds of 252 to 45.

15-63 §15.7 source ↗

(a) Construct a table showing the macrostates and all of the individual microstates for tossing 6 coins. (Use Table 15.5 as a guide.) (b) How many macrostates are there? (c) What is the total number of microstates? (d) What percent chance is there of tossing 5 heads and 1 tail? (e) How much more likely are you to toss 3 heads and 3 tails than 5 heads and 1 tail? (Take the ratio of the number of microstates to find out.)
Table 15.5 10-Coin Toss in the book ↗
Macrostate Number of Microstates (W)
Heads Tails
10 0 1
9 1 10
8 2 45
7 3 120
6 4 210
5 5 252
4 6 210
3 7 120
2 8 45
1 9 10
0 10 1
Total: 1024

Answer

(b) 7

(c) 64

(d) 9.38%

(e) 3.33 times more likely (20 to 6)

AP Test Prep 15.1 §15.1 source ↗

A cylinder is divided in half by a movable disk in the middle. Each half is filled with an equal number of gas molecules, but one half is at a higher temperature than the other. Which choice best describes what happens next?
  1. a.
    Nothing.
  2. b.
    The high temperature side expands, compressing the low temperature side.
  3. c.
    Heat moves from hot to cold, so the low temperature side will gradually increase in temperature and expand
  4. d.
    (b) happens quickly, but after that (c) happens more slowly.

Answer

D. (b) happens quickly, but after that (c) happens more slowly.

AP Test Prep 15.3 §15.1 source ↗

A system has 300 J of work done on it, and has a heat transfer of -320 J. Compared to prior to these processes, the internal energy is:
  1. a.
    20 J less
  2. b.
    20 J more
  3. c.
    620 J more
  4. d.
    620 J less

Answer

A. 20 J less

AP Test Prep 15.5 §15.1 source ↗

A potato cannon has the fuel combusted, generating a lot of heat and pressure, which launch a potato. The combustion process _____ the internal energy, while launching the potato _____ the internal energy of the potato cannon.
  1. a.
    increases, increases
  2. b.
    increases, decreases
  3. c.
    decreases, increases
  4. d.
    decreases, decreases

Answer

B. increases, decreases

AP Test Prep 15.7 §15.2 source ↗

In Figure 15.41, how much work is done by the system in process AB?
  1. a.
    4.5 × 103 J
  2. b.
    6.0 × 103 J
  3. c.
    6.9 × 103 J
  4. d.
    7.8 × 103 J
Figure 15.41 in the book ↗

Answer

C. 6.9 × 103 J

AP Test Prep 15.9 §15.2 source ↗

A thermodynamic process begins at 1.2 × 106 N/m2 and 5 L. The state then changes to 1.2 × 106 N/m2 and 2 L. Next it becomes 2.2 × 106 N/m2 and 2 L. The next change is 2.2 × 106 N/m2 and 5 L. Finally, the system ends at 1.0 × 106 N/m2 and 5 L.

On Figure 15.40, this process is best described by

  1. a.
    EFCDB
  2. b.
    DEFCD
  3. c.
    CFABC
  4. d.
    CFABD
Figure 15.40 in the book ↗
The two cyclical processes shown on this PV diagram start with and return the system to the conditions at point A, but they follow different paths and produce different amounts of work.

Answer

D. CFABD

AP Test Prep 15.11 §15.2 source ↗

In Figure 15.41, which of the following cycles has the greatest net work output?
  1. a.
    ABDA
  2. b.
    BCDB
  3. c.
    (a) and (b) are equal
  4. d.
    ADCBA
Figure 15.41 in the book ↗

Answer

A. ABDA

AP Test Prep 15.13 §15.6 source ↗

Equal masses of steam (100 degrees C) and ice (0 degrees C) are placed in contact with each other in an otherwise insulated container. They both end up as liquid water at a common temperature. The steam ___ entropy and ___ order, while the ice ___ entropy and ___ order.
  1. a.
    gained, gained, lost, lost
  2. b.
    gained, lost, lost, gained
  3. c.
    lost, gained, gained, lost
  4. d.
    lost, lost, gained, gained

Answer

C. lost, gained, gained, lost

AP Test Prep 15.15 §15.7 source ↗

A piston is resting halfway into a cylinder containing gas in thermal equilibrium. The layer of molecules next to the closed end of the cylinder is suddenly flash-heated to a very high temperature. Which best describes what happens next?
  1. a.
    The high temperature molecules push out the piston until their energy is reduced enough that the system is in equilibrium.
  2. b.
    The molecules with the highest temperature bounce off their neighbors, losing energy to them, and so on until the system is at a new equilibrium with the piston moved out.
  3. c.
    The molecules with the highest temperature bounce off their neighbors, losing energy to them, and so on until the system is at a new equilibrium with the piston where it started.
  4. d.
    The high temperature molecules push out the piston until their energy is reduced enough that the system is in equilibrium, and then the piston gets sucked back in.

Answer

B. The molecules with the highest temperature bounce off their neighbors, losing energy to them, and so on until the system is at a new equilibrium with the piston moved out.

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Problems and answers are adapted from College Physics for AP® Courses 2e by Gregg Wolfe, Erika Gasper, John Stoke, Julie Kretchman, David Anderson and others, OpenStax, and are used under the CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 licence. Access for free at https://openstax.org/books/college-physics-ap-courses-2e/pages/1-connection-for-ap-r-courses. Illustrations: Copyright Rice University, OpenStax, under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 license. This adaptation is released under the same licence, is non-commercial, and is neither affiliated with nor endorsed by OpenStax or Rice University.