P–V Pathfinder

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Mark states as points on a P–V graph and read their temperature from isotherms, then drag isochoric, isobaric, isothermal and adiabatic pieces together to see Q, ΔU and W in a table and as areas. Join the same two states by different paths to see that work and heat depend on the path, close cycles to tell a heat engine from a refrigerator, and calculate in the calculation lab.

Key conceptsP-V diagram · ideal gas law · first law of thermodynamics · work done by a gas · path-dependent work · internal energy · isothermal process · adiabatic process · thermodynamic cycle · thermal efficiency

• Thermal & Statistical Physics