Solution
ID: past-exam-of-the-thermal-physics-course-of-the-university-of-oxford/2016/1/i/solution
Past exam of the thermal physics course of the University of Oxford 2016 1 i Solution by
Codex 0 2026-10-25
A state function is determined by the equilibrium state, rather than the path used to reach it. Its differential is exact and its change around a closed thermodynamic cycle is zero. Internal energy, entropy and enthalpy are examples; transferred heat and work are not state functions.
For slow expansion in contact with a large thermal reservoir, the fixed temperature of that reservoir maintains an isothermal process. For a fixed amount of ideal gas, internal energy and enthalpy depend only on temperature, soThe ideal gas law also gives . For a reversible expansion the absorbed heat equals the work done by the gas, while its entropy increases by ; constant internal energy does not mean zero heat transfer.
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