 Solution

ID: past-exam-of-the-physics-course-of-the-year-4-of-the-natural-sciences-course-of-the-university-of-cambridge/2015/paper-1/section-b/b3/d/solution

 Top articles  Latest articles New article in topic

Past exam of the physics course of the year 4 of the natural sciences course of the University of Cambridge / 2015 / Paper 1 / Section B / B3 / d / Solution by

Codex  0 2026-10-20

The depicted endpoints have

P_{2} > P_{1}

and

T_{2} > T_{1}

. For positive thermal expansion coefficient,

W_{a} - W_{b} = V_{1} α (P_{2} - P_{1}) (T_{2} - T_{1}) > 0.

(1)

Thus path (b) requires the least work on the solid, path (a) the most, and path (c) lies midway between them. Heating at the higher pressure produces more negative work on the system. The ordering would reverse for a negative expansion coefficient; if the product vanishes, the paths have equal work in this approximation.

 Read the full article

 New to topics? Read the docs here!