Question
Physics Question on Thermodynamics
P-T diagram of an ideal gas having three different densities ρ1,ρ2,ρ3 (in three different cases) is shown in the figure. Which of the following is correct:
ρ2<ρ3
ρ1>ρ2
ρ1<ρ2
ρ1=ρ2=ρ3
ρ1>ρ2
Solution
Ideal Gas Equation and Density Relationship:
For an ideal gas, the equation is given by:
PV=nRT
or,
P=VnRT
where P is the pressure, T is the temperature, R is the gas constant, n is the number of moles, and V is the volume.
We can express P in terms of density ρ by substituting ρ=Vm, where m is the mass of the gas:
P=MρRT
where M is the molar mass of the gas. Rearranging, we get:
ρ=RTPM
Analyze the PT Graph for Different Densities:
Since ρ=RTPM, for a given temperature T, the density ρ of the gas is directly proportional to the pressure P:
ρ∝P
Therefore, at the same temperature, a higher pressure indicates a higher density.
Interpretation of the PT Diagram:
In the given PT diagram, we observe that:
P1>P2>P3 for the same temperature T
Therefore, based on the proportional relationship ρ∝P at constant temperature, we have:
ρ1>ρ2>ρ3
Conclusion:
The correct statement is: ρ1>ρ2 which corresponds to Option (2).