Skip to content
III. Long Answer Questions · Q14

Q.Derive the work done in an isothermal process.

Puducherry TnboardTextbookSubjectiveImportance★★★★★est
44% · 55/126 Questions
🔒 Locked · start free trial →

You're viewing a preview — the full solution, concept, methods & PYQ mapping are locked.

Start your 14-day free trial to unlock the full solution →

Step 1. For an isothermal process, the work done during a quasi-static expansion (or compression) from ViV_i to VfV_f is W=∫ViVfP dV.W=\int_{V_i}^{V_f}P\,dV.

Step 2. Since the gas obeys the ideal gas equation at every stage (equilibrium is maintained throughout, as the process is quasi-static), P=μRTVP=\dfrac{\mu RT}{V}. Substituting: W=∫ViVfμRTV dV.W=\int_{V_i}^{V_f}\dfrac{\mu RT}{V}\,dV.

Step 3. Since TT is constant, μRT\mu RT can be taken outside the integral: W=μRT∫ViVfdVV.W=\mu RT\int_{V_i}^{V_f}\dfrac{dV}{V}. …

Unlock everything free for 14 days

  • Full step-by-step solutions
  • Concept-first explanations
  • Methods, shortcuts & mistakes
  • PYQ mapping + timed mock tests

Full access for 14 days. No credit card required.