Chapter Summary
Essential Idea: Heat can be used to do work.
In this chapter we looked at the connection between heat, work, and the change in internal
energy, and we saw how the laws of thermodynamics can be applied to understand the basic
operation of practical devices such as engines, refrigerators, and air conditioners.
The First Law of Thermodynamics
The first law of thermodynamics is a statement of energy conservation as it relates to a
thermodynamic system. Heat, Q, can be transformed into (or come from) some combination of a
change in internal energy, , of the system and the work, W, done by the system.
. (Equation 15.1: The First Law of Thermodynamics)
Q is positive when heat is added to a system, and negative when heat is removed.
is positive when the temperature of a system increases, and negative when it decreases.
W is positive when a system expands and does work, and negative when the system is
compressed.
Work, and Change in Internal Energy
The work done by a system during a thermodynamic process is equal to the area under the
curve corresponding to that process on a P-V diagram.
Change in internal energy: If the temperature of an ideal gas changes the change in internal
energy of the gas is proportional to the change in temperature.
. (Equation 15.4: Change in internal energy)
Heat Capacity
is known as the heat capacity at constant volume.
Monatomic: Diatomic: Polyatomic:
is the heat capacity at constant pressure.
Monatomic: Diatomic: Polyatomic:
Special Thermodynamic Processes (see also Figure 15.14 in Section 15-5)
1. An isochoric (constant volume) process. There is no work done by the gas: . The
heat added to the gas is equal to the change in internal energy: .
2. An isobaric (constant pressure) process. The work done by the gas is .
3. An isothermal (constant temperature) process. There is no change in internal energy,
, so Q = W. The work done by the gas is given by:
(Eq. 15.8: Heat and work for an isothermal process)
Chapter 15 – The Laws of Thermodynamics Page 15 - 18
4. An adiabatic process. Such a process is characterized by no heat transfer: Q = 0. On the
P-V diagram an adiabatic process moves along a line given by:
(Eq. 15.9: Equation for an adiabatic process on the P-V diagram)
(Equation 15.10: The constant for an adiabatic process)
Another useful equation in an adiabatic situation is: . (Eq. 15.11)
Tools for Solving Thermodynamics Problems
• The P-V diagram can help us to visualize what is going on. In addition, the work done by
a gas in a process is the area under the curve defining that process on the P-V diagram.
• The ideal gas law, , and the first law of thermodynamics, .
• The general expression for the change in internal energy, .
• In specific special cases (see Figure 15.14, and the preceding section in this summary),
there are additional relationships that can be used to relate the different parameters.
A Thermodynamic Cycle
A cycle is a sequence of processes that returns a system to its original state. The cycle as
a whole satisfies the first law of thermodynamics, as does each of its processes. The change in
internal energy for any cycle is always zero, because the system returns to its initial state, and the
area of the enclosed region on the P-V diagram is the net work done in the cycle.
Entropy and the Second Law of Thermodynamics
Entropy is in some sense a measure of disorder. The symbol for entropy is S, and the
units are J/K. Entropy is sometimes called time’s arrow, since entropy tends to increase with time.
, (Equation 15.13: Approximate change in entropy)
where is the average temperature of the system while the heat is being transferred.
. (Equation 15.14: The Second Law of Thermodynamics)
The entropy of a closed system tends to increase as time goes by.
Heat Engines
A heat engine, such as a car engine, uses a thermodynamic cycle to do work. Cooling
devices such as refrigerators and air conditioners are heat engines run in reverse, having work
done on them to pump heat from a cooler place to a warmer place.
. (Eq. 15.15: Energy equation for a heat engine or cooling device)
. (Equation 15.16: Efficiency for a heat engine)
. (Equation 15.17: The Carnot relationship for an ideal engine)
. (Equation 15.18: Efficiency for an ideal engine)
Chapter 15 – The Laws of Thermodynamics Page 15 - 19