The change in the internal energy when a system goes from state A   to   B   is   40   kJ   mole - 1 . If the system follows a reversible path from A to B and returns to state A by an irreversible path, what would be the net change in internal energy?

Step-by-step solution

We know that, internal energy is a state function, hence it only depends upon the initial and final values irrespective of the path followed, i.e., ∆ U = U final - U initial For the given cyclic process: U final = U initial Thus, the net change in internal energy change is zero.