Physics · Textbook solutions
Thermodynamics
Every solved example, exercise, and miscellaneous question, in the order the textbook teaches them. Plus every board question asked from this chapter. · 34 questions
4. Thermodynamics — worked examples
10 q
Solved Examples
Worked · 10
- Solved Ex.4.1Calculate the internal energy of argon and oxygen.
- Solved Ex.4.2A gas enclosed in a cylinder is expanded to double its initial volume at a constant pressure of one atmosphere. How much work is done in this process?.
- Solved Ex.4.31.0 kg of liquid water is boiled at 100 C and all of it is converted to steam. If the change of state takes place at the atmospheric pressure ( Pa), calculate (a) the energy transferred to the system, (b) the work done by the system during this change, and (c) the change in the internal energy of the system. Given, the volume of water changes from m in liquid form to m when in the form of steam. kJ/kg.
- Solved Ex.4.4104 kJ of work is done on certain volume of a gas. If the gas releases 125 kJ of heat, calculate the change in internal energy (in kJ) of the gas.
- Solved Ex.4.50.5 mole of gas at temp 300 K expands isothermally from an initial volume of 2.0L to final volume of 6.0L. (a) What is the work done by the gas ? ( J mol K), (b) How much heat is supplied to the gas?
- Solved Ex.4.6One mole of an ideal gas is initially kept in a cylinder with a movable frictionless and massless piston at pressure of 1.01MPa, and temperature 27C. It is then expanded till its volume is doubled. How much work is done if the expansion is isobaric? ( SI Units)
- Solved Ex.4.7An ideal gas of volume 1.0L is adiabatically compressed to of its initial volume. Its initial pressure and temperature is Pa and 27C respectively. Given for ideal gas = 20.8J/mol.K and . Calculate (a) final pressure, (b) work done, and (c) final temperature. (d) How would your answers change, if the process were isothermal ?
- Solved Ex.4.8Cyclic process: The total work done in the cyclic process shown in the Fig. 4.19 is J. (a) What does the negative sign mean? (b) What is the change in internal energy and the heat transferred during this process. (c) What will happen when the direction of the cycle is changed?
- Solved Ex.4.9A cyclic process ABCA is shown in V-T diagram (Fig (a)). It is performed with a constant mass of ideal gas. How will this transform to a p-V digram?
- Solved Ex.4.10Carnot engine: A Carnot engine receives 2.0 kJ of heat from a reservoir at 500 K, does some work, and rejects some heat to a reservoir at 350 K. (a) How much work does it do? (b) how much heat is rejected. (c) what is its efficiency?
Exercises
24 q
Choose the correct option
Practice · 5
- Choose the correct option.Ex Q.1 (i)A gas in a closed container is heated with 10J of energy, causing the lid of the container to rise 2m with 3N of force. What is the total change in the internal energy of the system?
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- Ex Q.1 (ii)Which of the following is an example of the first law of thermodynamics?
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- Ex Q.1 (iii)Efficiency of a Carnot engine is large when
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- Ex Q.1 (iv)The second law of thermodynamics deals with transfer of:
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- Ex Q.1 (v)During refrigeration cycle, heat is rejected by the refrigerant in the :
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Answer in brief
Practice · 5
- Answer in brief.Ex Q.2 (i)A gas contained in a cylinder surrounded by a thick layer of insulating material is quickly compressed. (a) Has there been a transfer of heat? (b) Has work been done?
- Ex Q.2 (ii)Give an example of some familiar process in which no heat is added to or removed form a system, but the temperature of the system changes.
- Ex Q.2 (iii)Give an example of some familiar process in which heat is added to an object, without changing its temperature.
- Ex Q.2 (iv)What sets the limits on efficiency of a heat engine?
- Ex Q.2 (v)Why should a Carnot cycle have two isothermal two adiabatic processes?
Answer the following questions
Practice · 5
- Answer the following questions.Ex Q.3 (i)A mixture of hydrogen and oxygen is enclosed in a rigid insulting cylinder. It is ignited by a spark. The temperature and the pressure both increase considerably. Assume that the energy supplied by the spark is negligible, what conclusions may be drawn by application of the first law of thermodynamics?
- Ex Q.3 (ii)A resistor held in running water carries electric current. Treat the resistor as the system (a) Does heat flow into the resistor? (b) Is there a flow of heat into the water? (c) Is any work done? (d) Assuming the state of resistance to remain unchanged, apply the first law of thermodynamics to this process.
- Ex Q.3 (iii)A mixture of fuel and oxygen is burned in a constant-volume chamber surrounded by a water bath. It was noticed that the temperature of water is increased during the process. Treating the mixture of fuel and oxygen as the system, (a) Has heat been transferred ? (b) Has work been done? (c) What is the sign of ?
- Ex Q.3 (iv)Draw a p-V diagram and explain the concept of positive and negative work. Give one example each.
- Ex Q.3 (v)A solar cooker and a pressure cooker both are used to cook food. Treating them as thermodynamic systems, discuss the similarities and differences between them.
Solve the following
Practice · 9
- Ex Q.4A gas contained in a cylinder fitted with a frictionless piston expands against a constant external pressure of 1 atm from a volume of 5 litres to a volume of 10 litres. In doing so it absorbs 400 J of thermal energy from its surroundings. Determine the change in internal energy of system.
- Ex Q.5A system releases 130 kJ of heat while 109 kJ of work is done on the system. Calculate the change in internal energy.
- Ex Q.6Efficiency of a Carnot cycle is 75%. If temperature of the hot reservoir is 727C, calculate the temperature of the cold reservoir.
- Ex Q.7A Carnot refrigerator operates between 250K and 300K. Calculate its coefficient of performance.
- Ex Q.8An ideal gas is taken through an isothermal process. If it does 2000 J of work on its environment, how much heat is added to it?
- Ex Q.9An ideal monatomic gas is adiabatically compressed so that its final temperature is twice its initial temperature. What is the ratio of the final pressure to its initial pressure?
- Ex Q.10A hypothetical thermodynamic cycle is shown in the figure. Calculate the work done in 25 cycles.
- Ex Q.11The figure shows the - diagram for one cycle of a hypothetical heat engine which uses the ideal gas. Draw the - diagram and - diagram of the system.
- Ex Q.12A system is taken to its final state from initial state in hypothetical paths as shown figure. Calculate the work done in each case.
What the board has asked from this chapter
Questions per paper · 13 papers · 2017 to 2026
2017: 1 questions per paper. 2020: 1 questions per paper. 2022: 4 questions per paper. 2023: 2 questions per paper. 2024: 2 questions per paper. 2025: 2.3 questions per paper. 2026: 3.5 questions per paper
June 2026
4 q
- Q. 1(iii)The equation of the first law of thermodynamics for isochoric process is
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First Law of Thermodynamics - Q. 4For a thermodynamic system : Define : (a) Mechanical equilibrium (b) Chemical equilibriumThermodynamic State Variables and the p-V Diagram
- Q. 9Explain the cyclic process with the help of a neat diagram.Thermodynamic Processes
- Q. 31(ii)A Carnot refrigerator operates between 150 K and 200 K, calculate its coefficient of performance.Refrigerators and Heat Pumps
February 2026
3 q
- Q. 1(iv)The process in which heat is neither absorbed nor released by a system is called _____.
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Thermodynamic Processes - Q. 15In thermodynamics, define : (a) Mechanical equilibrium (b) Chemical equilibrium (c) Thermal equilibriumThermodynamic State Variables and the p-V Diagram
- Q. 230.5 mole of an ideal gas at 300 K, expands isothermally from an initial volume of 2 L to a final volume of 6 L. Calculate : (a) work done by the gas (b) heat supplied to the gas [ Given : J mol K ]Thermodynamic Processes
June 2025
3 q
- Q. 5Explain the thermodynamics of adiabatic process to obtain adiabatic constant for rigid diatomic molecule of a gas?Thermodynamic Processes
- Q. 26A Carnot engine receives 4000J of heat from a reservoir at 500K, does some work, rejects 2000J heat to reservoir at 200K. (a) How much work does it do? (b) What is its efficiency?Carnot Cycle and Carnot Engine
- Q. 27Define isothermal process. Obtain an expression for work done during isothermal process. Draw P–V diagram.Thermodynamic Processes
February 2025
4 q
- Q. 1(i)"If two systems are each in thermal equilibrium with a third system, they are also in thermal equilibrium with each other." This statement refers to :
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Thermodynamic State Variables and the p-V Diagram - Answer the following questions :Q. 2(iv)What do you mean by a thermodynamic system?Heat, Internal Energy and Work
- Q. 16In a thermodynamic system, define – (a) Mechanical equilibrium (b) Chemical equilibrium and (c) Thermal equilibriumThermodynamic State Variables and the p-V Diagram
- Q. 14A gas of 0.5 mole at 300 K expands isothermally from an initial volume of 2.0 litre to a final volume of 6.0 litre. What is the work done by gas?Thermodynamic Processes
July 2024
2 q
- Q. 4Explain cyclic process with the help of neat and labelled p-V diagram.Thermodynamic Processes
- Q. 28Explain the concept of positive and negative work with varying pressure. Draw corresponding p-V diagrams.Heat, Internal Energy and Work
February 2024
4 q
- Answer the following questions :Q. 2(vi)What is surroundings in thermodynamics?Heat, Internal Energy and Work
- Q. 1(vii)In a cyclic process, if internal energy, W = work done, Q = Heat supplied then
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Thermodynamic Processes - Q. 3Explain the change in internal energy of a thermodynamic system (the gas) by heating it.Heat, Internal Energy and Work
- Q. 19What is an isothermal process? Obtain an expression for work done by a gas in an isothermal process.Thermodynamic Processes
February 2023
4 q
- Q. 29(ii)104 J of work is done on certain volume of a gas. If the gas releases 125 kJ of heat, calculate the change in internal energy of the gas.First Law of Thermodynamics
- Q. 1(ii)The first law of thermodynamics is consistent with the law of conservation of _______.
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First Law of Thermodynamics - Q. 29(i)Derive an expression for the work done during an isothermal process.Thermodynamic Processes
- Q. 13An ideal mono-atomic gas is adiabatically compressed so that its final temperature is twice its initial temperature. Calculate the ratio of final pressure to its initial pressure.Thermodynamic Processes
March 2022
4 q
- Q. 1(i)The first law of thermodynamics is concerned with the conservation of ________.
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First Law of Thermodynamics - Q. 5What is a thermodynamic process? Give any two types of it.Thermodynamic Processes
- Q. 9What are mechanical equilibrium and thermal equilibrium?Thermodynamic State Variables and the p-V Diagram
- Q. 29The initial pressure and volume of a gas enclosed in a cylinder are and respectively. If the work done in compressing the gas at constant pressure is 150 J, find the final volume of the gas.Heat, Internal Energy and Work
February 2020
1 q
- Q. 2(ii)What is isothermal process?Thermodynamic Processes
March 2017
1 q
- Q. 1(i)If the pressure of an ideal gas decreases by 10% isothermally, then its volume will ________.
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Thermodynamic Processes
The 10 board questions to practise first
The questions the board asked again come first, most asked first. Each one says how often and when.
Question 1
Asked 4 times: Mar 2022, Feb 2025, Feb 2026, Jun 2026
Q. 4For a thermodynamic system : Define : (a) Mechanical equilibrium (b) Chemical equilibriumQuestion 2
Asked 3 times: Feb 2023, Feb 2024, Jun 2025
Q. 27Define isothermal process. Obtain an expression for work done during isothermal process. Draw P–V diagram.Question 3
Asked 2 times: Jul 2024, Jun 2026
Q. 9Explain the cyclic process with the help of a neat diagram.Question 4
Asked 2 times: Feb 2025, Feb 2026
Q. 230.5 mole of an ideal gas at 300 K, expands isothermally from an initial volume of 2 L to a final volume of 6 L. Calculate : (a) work done by the gas (b) heat supplied to the gas [ Given : J mol K ]Question 5
Asked 2 times: Mar 2022, Feb 2023
Q. 1(ii)The first law of thermodynamics is consistent with the law of conservation of _______.Tap an option to check your answer.
Question 6
This type asked 3 times: Feb 2023, Feb 2024, Jun 2026. This one: Jun 2026
Q. 1(iii)The equation of the first law of thermodynamics for isochoric process isTap an option to check your answer.
Question 7
This type asked 3 times: Feb 2020, Mar 2022, Feb 2026. This one: Feb 2026
Q. 1(iv)The process in which heat is neither absorbed nor released by a system is called _____.Tap an option to check your answer.
Question 8
This type asked 2 times: Jun 2025, Jun 2026. This one: Jun 2026
Q. 31(ii)A Carnot refrigerator operates between 150 K and 200 K, calculate its coefficient of performance.Question 9
This type asked 2 times: Feb 2024, Feb 2025. This one: Feb 2025
Answer the following questions :Q. 2(iv)What do you mean by a thermodynamic system?Question 10
Asked once: Feb 2024 (same type asked 3 times)
Q. 1(vii)In a cyclic process, if internal energy, W = work done, Q = Heat supplied thenTap an option to check your answer.