Which of the following is an almost reversible process?
A) The explosion of hydrogen and oxygen to form water.
B) Heat transfer through thick insulation.
C) The adiabatic free expansion of a gas.
D) A slow isothermal compression of a gas.
E) A slow leakage of gas into an empty chamber through a small hole in a membrane.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

A slow isothermal compression of a gas is an almost reversible process because it occurs slowly and without any energy transfer as heat (adiabatic), which minimizes the generation of entropy (disorder) in the system. The other options either involve rapid, irreversible reactions (A), heat transfer with a temperature difference (B), expansion without any restriction (C), or an irreversible process due to the one-way flow of gas (E).

Which of the Following Is an Almost Reversible Process