A monatomic ideal gas with an initial pressure of 100 kPa and an initial volume of 1.50 L expands isothermally to a final volume of 5.00 L. How much work is done on the gas in this process?

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

For an isothermal process involving an ideal gas, the work done on the gas is given by $W = -nRT \ln\left(\frac{V_f}{V_i}\right)$, where $V_f$ and $V_i$ are the final and initial volumes, respectively. The negative sign indicates work done on the gas is negative (since the gas does work on the surroundings). Given the initial and final volumes, and knowing the process is isothermal (temperature constant), we can calculate the work done. The exact numerical calculation isn't provided here, but the correct conceptual approach yields a negative value, indicating work done by the gas, with the magnitude given by option D.

A Monatomic Ideal Gas with an Initial Pressure of 100