A system expands from a volume of 1.00 L to 2.00 L against a constant external pressure of 1.00 atm. The work (w) done by the system, in J, is:

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The work done by the system can be calculated using the equation:

w = -PΔV

where P is the external pressure, and ΔV is the change in volume.

In this case, P = 1.00 atm and ΔV = 2.00 L - 1.00 L = 1.00 L.

Substituting these values into the equation gives:

w = -(1.00 atm)(1.00 L) = -1.00 L⋅atm

To express this answer in joules, we can use the conversion factor:

1 L⋅atm = 101.3 J

Multiplying both sides of the equation by the conversion factor, we get:

w = -(1.00 L⋅atm) × (101.3 J/L⋅atm) = -101.3 J

Since the work done by the system is negative (meaning work is done on the system by the surroundings), we can take the absolute value of the answer to get:

|w| = 101.3 J

Rounding to two significant figures, we get:

|w| ≈ 1.0 × 102 J

Therefore, the best choice is C, which represents this final answer in scientific notation.

A System Expands from a Volume of 1