Chemistry · Ch 4 — Chemical Thermodynamics
System and surrounding
System and surrounding
Consider a gas enclosed in a cylinder equipped with a movable piston, as shown in Fig. 4.1. Suppose we undertake a study of the change in volume of the gas, and of the amount of energy released or gained by the gas, when the pressure is varied by putting a certain mass on the piston. In this case, the gas under study is called the system.
Drawn by us to help you understand the concept clearly, and verified to make sure it's accurate. For exams, practice from your textbook's own diagram.
What this figure shows. A cylinder of gas closed by a movable piston (a grey disc with a vertical rod carrying a small mass), drawn inside a rectangular border. The shaded gas region carries the label Gas (system); the border is labelled Surrounding at the top (with bracket lines) and again, rotated, along both sides — the book prints the singular 'Surrounding' on the frame while its caption uses the plural 'surroundings'. The gas under study is the …
…