Loading [MathJax]/jax/output/HTML-CSS/jax.js
Skip to main content
Library homepage
 

Text Color

Text Size

 

Margin Size

 

Font Type

Enable Dyslexic Font
Physics LibreTexts

8.3: Isothermal Expansion of an Ideal Gas

( \newcommand{\kernel}{\mathrm{null}\,}\)

An ideal gas obeys the equation of state PV = RT (V = molar volume), so that, if a fixed mass of gas kept at constant temperature is compressed or allowed to expand, its pressure and volume will vary according to PV = constant. That is, Boyle's Law. We can calculate the work done by a mole of an ideal gas in a reversible isothermal expansion from volume V1 to volume V2 as follows.

W=V2V1PdV=RTV2V1dVV=RTln(V2/V1)


This page titled 8.3: Isothermal Expansion of an Ideal Gas is shared under a CC BY-NC license and was authored, remixed, and/or curated by Jeremy Tatum.

Support Center

How can we help?