Practice question
Question
Calculate the work done when 1 mol of an ideal gas expands isothermally and reversibly from 5 atm to 1 atm at 300 K. (R = 8.314 J/mol·K)
Explanation
w = -nRT ln(P₁/P₂) = -1 × 8.314 × 300 × ln(5/1) = -2494.2 × 1.609 = -4013 J.