What happens to the internal energy of an ideal gas during an isothermal expansi

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Question: What happens to the internal energy of an ideal gas during an isothermal expansion? (2021)

Options:

Correct Answer: Remains constant

Exam Year: 2021

Solution:

During an isothermal expansion of an ideal gas, the internal energy remains constant because the temperature does not change.

What happens to the internal energy of an ideal gas during an isothermal expansion? (2021)

What happens to the internal energy of an ideal gas during an isothermal expansion? (2021)

Step 1: Understand what isothermal means. Isothermal means that the temperature of the gas stays the same during the process.
Step 2: Know what internal energy is. Internal energy is the total energy contained within the gas due to the motion and arrangement of its molecules.
Step 3: Remember that for an ideal gas, the internal energy depends only on temperature. If the temperature does not change, the internal energy does not change.
Step 4: During isothermal expansion, the gas expands and does work on its surroundings, but it also absorbs heat to keep the temperature constant.
Step 5: Since the temperature is constant, the internal energy of the ideal gas remains constant during the isothermal expansion.

Internal Energy of Ideal Gas – The internal energy of an ideal gas is a function of temperature; during isothermal processes, temperature remains constant.
Isothermal Process – An isothermal process is one in which the temperature of the system remains constant throughout the process.