PhysicsLAB: 2007 Form B

The cylinder above contains an ideal gas and has a movable, frictionless piston of diameter D and mass M. The cylinder is in a laboratory with atmospheric pressure P_atm. Express all algebraic answers in terms of the given quantities and fundamental constants.

(a) Initially, the piston is free to move but remains in equilibrium. Determine each of the following.

	i. The force that the confined gas exerts on the piston

	ii. The absolute pressure of the confined gas

	(b) If a net amount of heat is transferred to the confined gas when the piston is fixed, what happens to the pressure of the gas? Explain your reasoning.

	(c) In a certain process the absolute pressure of the confined gas remains constant as the piston moves up a distance x_o . Calculate the work done by the confined gas during the process.