In an isothermal process for an ideal gas, if the volume of the gas is doubled,
Practice Questions
Q1
In an isothermal process for an ideal gas, if the volume of the gas is doubled, what happens to the pressure?
It doubles
It halves
It remains constant
It quadruples
Questions & Step-by-Step Solutions
In an isothermal process for an ideal gas, if the volume of the gas is doubled, what happens to the pressure?
Step 1: Understand that an isothermal process means the temperature of the gas stays the same.
Step 2: Recall Boyle's Law, which states that for a given amount of gas at constant temperature, the product of pressure (P) and volume (V) is constant: P1 * V1 = P2 * V2.
Step 3: Identify the initial conditions: let the initial volume be V1 and the initial pressure be P1.
Step 4: If the volume is doubled, the new volume (V2) becomes 2 * V1.
Step 5: Substitute the new volume into Boyle's Law: P1 * V1 = P2 * (2 * V1).
Step 6: Simplify the equation: P1 = 2 * P2.
Step 7: Rearrange the equation to find P2: P2 = P1 / 2.
Step 8: Conclude that if the volume doubles, the pressure is halved.
