The adiabatic piston problem involves two ideal gases contained in a horizontal cylinder and separated by an insulated piston that moves without friction. Initially, the piston is held in place, and the pressures of the two gases are different. When the piston is released, it undergoes oscillations that are damped due to frictional effects caused by the gases, and its motion finally ceases. The final pressures of the two gases are equal, but the final temperatures are typically different. Approximate solutions are developed for the time dependence of the piston motion, the temperatures of the gases, and the entropy changes of the gases. These results are compared with exact solutions of the coupled differential equations derived by Crosignani et al. [“Approach to thermal equilibrium in a system with adiabatic constraints,” Am. J. Phys. 64, 610–613 (1996)].
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October 2010
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October 01 2010
A close examination of the motion of an adiabatic piston
Eric A. Gislason
Eric A. Gislason
Department of Chemistry,
University of Illinois at Chicago
, 845 W. Taylor Street, M/C 111, Chicago, Illinois 60607
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Am. J. Phys. 78, 995–1001 (2010)
Article history
Received:
October 14 2009
Accepted:
July 27 2010
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A related article has been published:
Comment on “A close examination of the motion of an adiabatic piston,” by Eric A. Gislason [Am. J. Phys. 78 (10), 995–1001 (2010)]
Citation
Eric A. Gislason; A close examination of the motion of an adiabatic piston. Am. J. Phys. 1 October 2010; 78 (10): 995–1001. https://doi.org/10.1119/1.3480028
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