Thermodynamics
Haryana Board · Class 11 · Physics
NCERT Solutions for Thermodynamics — Haryana Board Class 11 Physics.
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EXERCISES
11.1A geyser heats water flowing at the rate of 3.0 litres per minute from 27°C to 77°C. If the geyser operates on a gas burner, what is the rate of consumption of the fuel if its heat of combustion is 4.0 × 10⁴ J/g?Show solution
- Flow rate of water = 3.0 litres/min = 3.0 kg/min (since density of water = 1 kg/litre)
- Initial temperature,
- Final temperature,
- Rise in temperature,
- Heat of combustion of fuel, J/g
- Specific heat of water, J kg⁻¹ K⁻¹
Concept: Heat required =
Step 1: Calculate heat required per minute
Step 2: Calculate rate of fuel consumption
Let the rate of fuel consumption be g/min.
Heat supplied by fuel per minute = J/min
Setting heat supplied equal to heat required:
Answer: The rate of consumption of fuel is approximately 15.75 g/min.
11.2What amount of heat must be supplied to 2.0 × 10⁻² kg of nitrogen (at room temperature) to raise its temperature by 45°C at constant pressure? (Molecular mass of N₂ = 28; R = 8.3 J mol⁻¹ K⁻¹.)Show solution
- Mass of nitrogen, kg g
- Rise in temperature, K
- Molecular mass of , g/mol
- J mol⁻¹ K⁻¹
- Process: constant pressure
Step 1: Find number of moles
Step 2: Find for nitrogen
Nitrogen () is a diatomic gas. For a diatomic gas:
Step 3: Calculate heat supplied at constant pressure
Answer: The amount of heat that must be supplied is approximately 933.75 J ≈ 9.34 × 10² J.
11.3Explain why
(a) Two bodies at different temperatures T₁ and T₂ if brought in thermal contact do not necessarily settle to the mean temperature (T₁ + T₂)/2.
(b) The coolant in a chemical or a nuclear plant (i.e., the liquid used to prevent the different parts of a plant from getting too hot) should have high specific heat.
(c) Air pressure in a car tyre increases during driving.
(d) The climate of a harbour town is more temperate than that of a town in a desert at the same latitude.Show solution
The final equilibrium temperature depends on the masses and specific heat capacities of the two bodies, not just their temperatures. When two bodies exchange heat, the heat lost by the hotter body equals the heat gained by the cooler body:
Solving:
This equals only when . In general, this condition is not satisfied, so the final temperature is not the mean temperature.
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(b) The coolant should have high specific heat:
Specific heat capacity is defined as the heat absorbed per unit mass per unit rise in temperature:
A coolant with high specific heat can absorb a large amount of heat from the plant for a small rise in its own temperature. This makes it very effective in carrying away heat and keeping the plant cool without itself becoming too hot. Hence, a high specific heat coolant is preferred.
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(c) Air pressure in a car tyre increases during driving:
During driving, the tyre undergoes repeated deformation due to friction with the road. This friction generates heat, raising the temperature of the air inside the tyre. According to Gay-Lussac's Law (at constant volume):
As temperature increases, the pressure of the air inside the tyre increases.
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(d) The climate of a harbour town is more temperate than that of a town in a desert at the same latitude:
Water has a very high specific heat capacity ( J kg⁻¹K⁻¹) compared to sand/soil ( J kg⁻¹K⁻¹). The sea near a harbour town absorbs a large amount of heat in summer without a large rise in temperature, and releases heat slowly in winter. This moderates the temperature of the surrounding coastal area. In contrast, the sand in a desert heats up and cools down rapidly (low specific heat), causing extreme temperature variations. Hence, harbour towns have a more temperate (moderate) climate.
11.4A cylinder with a movable piston contains 3 moles of hydrogen at standard temperature and pressure. The walls of the cylinder are made of a heat insulator, and the piston is insulated by having a pile of sand on it. By what factor does the pressure of the gas increase if the gas is compressed to half its original volume?Show solution
- Number of moles of hydrogen, mol
- Initial conditions: Standard Temperature and Pressure (STP)
- Walls are heat-insulating and piston is insulated → adiabatic process
- Final volume,
Concept: For an adiabatic process:
Step 1: Find for hydrogen
Hydrogen () is a diatomic gas:
Step 2: Calculate the pressure ratio
Step 3: Evaluate
Answer: The pressure of the gas increases by a factor of approximately .
11.5In changing the state of a gas adiabatically from an equilibrium state A to another equilibrium state B, an amount of work equal to 22.3 J is done on the system. If the gas is taken from state A to B via a process in which the net heat absorbed by the system is 9.35 cal, how much is the net work done by the system in the latter case? (Take 1 cal = 4.19 J)Show solution
- Work done on the system in adiabatic process (A → B): J
- So work done by the system adiabatically: J
- Heat absorbed in the second process (A → B): cal
- cal J
Step 1: Find change in internal energy using the adiabatic process
For an adiabatic process, . By the First Law:
Note: Internal energy is a state function, so from A to B is the same regardless of the path.
Step 2: Convert heat absorbed in second process to Joules
Step 3: Apply First Law to the second process (A → B)
Answer: The net work done by the system in the second process is approximately 16.9 J.
11.6Two cylinders A and B of equal capacity are connected to each other via a stopcock. A contains a gas at standard temperature and pressure. B is completely evacuated. The entire system is thermally insulated. The stopcock is suddenly opened. Answer the following:
(a) What is the final pressure of the gas in A and B?
(b) What is the change in internal energy of the gas?
(c) What is the change in the temperature of the gas?
(d) Do the intermediate states of the system (before settling to the final equilibrium state) lie on its P-V-T surface?Show solution
- Cylinder A: gas at STP → atm, K, volume
- Cylinder B: completely evacuated, volume
- System is thermally insulated (adiabatic walls)
- Stopcock is suddenly opened → free expansion
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(a) Final pressure of the gas in A and B:
When the stopcock is opened, the gas expands freely to fill both cylinders. The total volume doubles: .
Since the system is thermally insulated and the gas expands against zero external pressure (vacuum in B), no work is done:
For an ideal gas in free expansion, temperature remains unchanged (shown in part c). Applying Boyle's Law:
The final pressure in A and B is 0.5 atm.
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(b) Change in internal energy of the gas:
By the First Law of Thermodynamics:
- (thermally insulated system)
- (gas expands into vacuum, no external pressure to work against)
There is no change in the internal energy of the gas.
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(c) Change in temperature of the gas:
For an ideal gas, internal energy depends only on temperature:
Since :
There is no change in the temperature of the gas.
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(d) Do the intermediate states lie on the P-V-T surface?
No. The process of free expansion is a sudden, irreversible process. During the intermediate stages, the gas is not in thermodynamic equilibrium — the pressure and temperature are not uniform throughout the gas. Therefore, the intermediate states cannot be described by well-defined values of P, V, and T, and hence they do not lie on the equilibrium P-V-T surface of the system. Only the initial and final equilibrium states lie on the P-V-T surface.
11.7An electric heater supplies heat to a system at a rate of 100 W. If system performs work at a rate of 75 joules per second. At what rate is the internal energy increasing?Show solution
- Rate of heat supplied to the system: W J/s
- Rate of work done by the system: J/s
Concept: First Law of Thermodynamics:
Dividing throughout by :
Calculation:
Answer: The internal energy of the system is increasing at the rate of 25 J/s (25 W).
11.8A thermodynamic system is taken from an original state to an intermediate state by the linear process shown in Fig. 11.11. Its volume is then reduced to the original value from E to F by an isobaric process. Calculate the total work done by the gas from D to E to F.Show solution
From the figure description, the process D → E is a linear (straight-line) process on a P-V diagram, and E → F is an isobaric (constant pressure) process that returns the volume to its original value.
Reading standard values from the figure:
- At point D: Pa, m³ (initial state)
- At point E: Pa, m³ (intermediate state)
- At point F: Pa, m³ (final state, isobaric from E)
*(Note: These are the standard values given in the NCERT figure for this problem.)*
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Step 1: Work done in process D → E (linear process on P-V diagram)
The process is a straight line on the P-V diagram. Work done = area under the P-V curve.
This area is a trapezium with:
- Parallel sides = Pa and Pa
- Width = m³
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Step 2: Work done in process E → F (isobaric process)
Pressure is constant at Pa. Volume decreases from m³ to m³.
(Negative because work is done on the gas as volume decreases.)
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Step 3: Total work done from D to E to F
Answer: The total work done by the gas from D to E to F is . The negative sign indicates that net work is done on the gas.
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