Heat capacity at constant area 2026-10-03
For a two-dimensional system of fixed area , the heat capacity at constant area is when the particle number and other conserved quantities are also fixed. It is the two-dimensional analogue of heat capacity at constant volume.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2008 ii Paper 3 34E Solution Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-09-24
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2020 ii Paper 2 36A Solution Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-09-29
For a simple system of fixed composition, the first law of thermodynamics andgiveThusEquality of mixed derivatives gives the Gibbs free-energy Maxwell relation
The heat capacity at constant volume and heat capacity at constant pressure areRegarding as a function of and differentiating along a constant-pressure curve givesThe Maxwell relation from the Helmholtz free energy isTherefore the difference between constant-pressure and constant-volume heat capacities is
Along the liquid-gas phase coexistence curve, the molar Gibbs free energies agree. Differentiating along the curve givesHence the Clausius-Clapeyron relation iswhere is the molar latent heat.
If and the gas is ideal, then , soFor constant , integration yieldswhere is constant over the range in which the approximations apply.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2021 ii Paper 1 36C a Solution Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-09-25
For a fixed number of particles, the ideal gas equation of state isIts internal energy depends only on temperature, andWhen the heat capacity at constant volume is constant, a choice of the energy zero gives
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2023 ii Paper 3 35A b iv Solution Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-09-25
For , the preceding density of states hasWhen , the Bose-Einstein distribution has the classical approximationEach of the modes therefore contributes to the energy, so the Dulong-Petit law gives
When , the upper integration limit tends to infinity. The Bose integralthen yieldsHence the heat capacity at constant volume isso . The high-temperature constant is the classical equipartition theorem result, while the low-temperature power law makes as required by the Third law of thermodynamics.
Specific heat capacity at constant volume 2026-10-06
The specific heat capacity at constant volume is the temperature derivative of specific internal energy at fixed density and composition: . It is the corresponding extensive heat capacity at constant volume divided by material mass.