Concepts Of Physics MCQ Edition [Volume 2]PhysicsSpecific Heat Capacities of Gases
When a gas enclosed in a container of finite conductivity is suddenly compressed, the process
Options
- Amay be very nearly adiabatic
- Bmay be very nearly isothermal
- Cmust be very nearly isothermal
- Dmust be very nearly adiabatic
Correct answer
D. must be very nearly adiabatic
Step-by-step solution
When a gas is suddenly compressed, the time taken for the process is extremely small. Since the container has finite thermal conductivity, the heat exchange between the gas and the surroundings requires some time. Due to the sudden nature of the compression, there is practically no time for heat transfer to take place, meaning Q 0 . Therefore, the process must be very nearly adiabatic.