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Ch 20: The Micro/Macro Connection
Chapter 20, Problem 20

The thermal energy of 1.0 mol of a substance is increased by 1.0 J. What is the temperature change if the system is (a) a monatomic gas, (b) a diatomic gas, and (c) a solid?

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Key Concepts

Here are the essential concepts you must grasp in order to answer the question correctly.

Heat Capacity

Heat capacity is the amount of heat energy required to change the temperature of a substance by a certain amount. It varies depending on the substance's phase and molecular structure. For gases, the heat capacity can differ based on whether the gas is monatomic or diatomic, affecting how temperature changes with added thermal energy.
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Degrees of Freedom

Degrees of freedom refer to the number of independent ways in which a system can store energy. Monatomic gases have three translational degrees of freedom, while diatomic gases have additional rotational degrees of freedom. This difference influences how much temperature changes when energy is added, as more degrees of freedom allow for greater energy distribution.
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Specific Heat

Specific heat is the amount of heat required to raise the temperature of a unit mass of a substance by one degree Celsius. Different materials have different specific heats, which affect how they respond to added thermal energy. Solids typically have lower specific heats compared to gases, leading to different temperature changes for the same amount of energy input.
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Related Practice
Textbook Question
A cylinder of nitrogen and a cylinder of neon are at the same temperature and pressure. The mean free path of a nitrogen molecule is 150 nm. What is the mean free path of a neon atom?
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Textbook Question
2.0 mol of monatomic gas A initially has 5000 J of thermal energy. It interacts with 3.0 mol of monatomic gas B, which initially has 8000 J of thermal energy. a. Which gas has the higher initial temperature?
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Textbook Question
The vibrational modes of molecular nitrogen are 'frozen out' at room temperature but become active at temperatures above ≈1500 K. The temperature in the combustion chamber of a jet engine can reach 2000 K, so an engineering analysis of combustion requires knowing the thermal properties of materials at these temperatures. What is the expected specific heat ratio γ for nitrogen at 2000 K?
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Textbook Question
A 100 cm³ box contains helium at a pressure of 2.0 atm and a temperature of 100℃. It is placed in thermal contact with a 200 cm³ box containing argon at a pressure of 4.0 atm and a temperature of 400℃. b. What is the final thermal energy of each gas?
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Textbook Question
The mean free path of a molecule in a gas is 300 nm. What will the mean free path be if the gas temperature is doubled at (a) constant volume and (b) constant pressure?
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Textbook Question
Integrated circuits are manufactured in vacuum chambers in which the air pressure is 1.0 x 10⁻¹⁰ of Hg. What are (a) the number density and (b) the mean free path of a molecule? Assume T = 20℃.
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