OpenStax University Physics Volume II

Unit 1: Thermodynamics
Chapter 4: The Second Law of Thermodynamics
University Physics Volume II
Unit 1: Thermodynamics
Chapter 4: The Second Law of Thermodynamics
Conceptual Questions
1. State an example of a process that occurs in nature that is as close to reversible as it can be.
Solution
Some possible solutions are frictionless movement; restrained compression or expansion; energy
transfer as heat due to infinitesimal temperature nonuniformity; electric current flow through a
zero resistance; restrained chemical reaction; and mixing of two samples of the same substance
at the same state.
3. If the refrigerator door is left open, what happens to the temperature of the kitchen?
Solution
The temperature increases since the heat output behind the refrigerator is greater than the cooling
from the inside of the refrigerator.
5. In the text, we showed that if the Clausius statement is false, the Kelvin statement must also be
false. Now show the reverse, such that if the Kelvin statement is false, it follows that the
Clausius statement is false.
Solution
If we combine a perfect engine and a real refrigerator with the engine converting heat Q from the
hot reservoir into work to drive the refrigerator, then the heat dumped to the hot
reservoir by the refrigerator will be , resulting in a perfect refrigerator transferring heat
from the cold reservoir to hot reservoir without any other effect.
7. Discuss the practical advantages and disadvantages of heat pumps and electric heating.
Solution
Heat pumps can efficiently extract heat from the ground to heat on cooler days or pull heat out of
the house on warmer days. The disadvantage of heat pumps are that they are more costly than
alternatives, require maintenance, and will not work efficiently when temperature differences
between the inside and outside are very large. Electric heating is much cheaper to purchase than
a heat pump; however, it may be more costly to run depending on the electric rates and amount
of usage.
9. Speculate as to why nuclear power plants are less efficient than fossil-fuel plants based on
temperature arguments.
Solution
A nuclear reactor needs to have a lower temperature to operate, so its efficiency will not be as
great as a fossil-fuel plant. This argument does not take into consideration the amount of energy
per reaction: Nuclear power has a far greater energy output than fossil fuels.
11. To increase the efficiency of a Carnot engine, should the temperature of the hot reservoir be
raised or lowered? What about the cold reservoir?
Solution
In order to increase the efficiency, the temperature of the hot reservoir should be raised, and the

cold reservoir should be lowered as much as possible. This can be seen in .

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OpenStax University Physics Volume II
Unit 1: Thermodynamics
Chapter 4: The Second Law of Thermodynamics
15. Is it possible for a system to have an entropy change if it neither absorbs nor emits heat
during a reversible transition? What happens if the process is irreversible?
Solution
Entropy will not change if it is a reversible transition but will change if the process is
irreversible.
17. Discuss the entropy changes in the systems of Question 21.10 in terms of disorder.
Solution
Entropy is a function of disorder, so all the answers apply here as well.

Problems
19. A mole of ideal monatomic gas at and 1.00 atm is warmed up to expand isobarically to
triple its volume. How much heat is transferred during the process?
Solution

21. After a free expansion to quadruple its volume, a mole of ideal diatomic gas is compressed
back to its original volume adiabatically and then cooled down to its original temperature. What
is the minimum heat removed from the gas in the final step to restoring its state?
Solution

23. In performing 100.0 J of work, an engine discharges 50.0 J of heat. What is the efficiency of
the engine?
Solution
0.667
25. It is found that an engine discharges 100.0 J while absorbing 125.0 J each cycle of operation.
(a) What is the efficiency of the engine? (b) How much work does it perform per cycle?
Solution
a. 0.200; b. 25.0 J
27. An engine absorbs three times as much heat as it discharges. The work done by the engine
per cycle is 50 J. Calculate (a) the efficiency of the engine, (b) the heat absorbed per cycle, and
(c) the heat discharged per cycle.
Solution
a. 0.67; b. 75 J; c. 25 J
29. A refrigerator has a coefficient of performance of 3.0. (a) If it requires 200 J of work per
cycle, how much heat per cycle does it remove the cold reservoir? (b) How much heat per cycle
is discarded to the hot reservoir?
Solution
a. 600 J; b. 800 J
31. If a refrigerator discards 80 J of heat per cycle and its coefficient of performance is 6.0, what
are (a) the quantity off heat it removes per cycle from a cold reservoir and (b) the amount of
work per cycle required for its operation?
Solution
a. 69 J; b. 11 J
33. The temperature of the cold and hot reservoirs between which a Carnot refrigerator operates
are and , respectively. Which is its coefficient of performance?
Solution
1.58
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OpenStax University Physics Volume II
Unit 1: Thermodynamics
Chapter 4: The Second Law of Thermodynamics
35. A Carnot engine operates between reservoirs at 600 and 300 K. If the engine absorbs 100 J
per cycle at the hot reservoir, what is its work output per cycle?
Solution
50 J
37. Sketch a Carnot cycle on a temperature-volume diagram.
Solution

39. An engine operating between heat reservoirs at and extracts 1000 J per cycle
from the hot reservoir. (a) What is the maximum possible work that engine can do per cycle? (b)
For this maximum work, how much heat is exhausted to the cold reservoir per cycle?
Solution
a. 381 J; b. 619 J
41. A Carnot engine is used to measure the temperature of a heat reservoir. The engine operates
between the heat reservoir and a reservoir consisting of water at its triple point. (a) If 400 J per
cycle are removed from the heat reservoir while 200 J per cycle are deposited in the triple-point
reservoir, what is the temperature of the heat reservoir? (b) If 400 J per cycle are removed from
the triple-point reservoir while 200 J per cycle are deposited in the heat reservoir, what is the
temperature of the heat reservoir?
Solution
a. 546 K; b. 137 K
43. Two hundred joules of heat are removed from a heat reservoir at a temperature of 200 K.
What is the entropy change of the reservoir?
Solution
–1 J/K
45. An ideal gas at 300 K is compressed isothermally to one-fifth its original volume. Determine
the entropy change per mole of the gas.
Solution
–13 J(K mole)
47. A metal rod is used to conduct heat between two reservoirs at temperatures
respectively. When an amount of heat Q flows through the rod from the hot to the cold reservoir,
what is the net entropy change of the rod, the hot reservoir, the cold reservoir, and the universe?
Solution

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OpenStax University Physics Volume II
Unit 1: Thermodynamics
Chapter 4: The Second Law of Thermodynamics
49. A 5.0-kg piece of lead at a temperature of is placed in a lake whose temperature is
. Determine the entropy change of (a) the lead piece, (b) the lake, and (c) the universe.
Solution
a. –709 J/K; b. 1300 J/K; c. 591 J/K
51. One mole of an ideal monatomic gas is confined to a rigid container. When heat is added
reversibly to the gas, its temperature changes from (a) How much heat is added? (b)
What is the change in entropy of the gas?
Solution
a. ; b.
53. A copper rod of cross-sectional area and length 5.0 m conducts heat from a heat
reservoir at 373 K to one at 273 K. What is the time rate of change of the universe’s entropy for
this process?
Solution

55. Fifty grams of water at are changed into vapor at . What is the change in
entropy of the water in this process?
Solution
430 J/K
57. Two hundred grams of water at is brought into contact with a heat reservoir at .
After thermal equilibrium is reached, what is the temperature of the water? Of the reservoir?
How much heat has been transferred in the process? What is the entropy change of the water? Of
the reservoir? What is the entropy change of the universe?
Solution
, , , 215 J/K, –190 J/K, 25 J/K
59. Two hundred grams of water at is brought into contact into thermal equilibrium
successively with reservoirs at , , , and . (a) What is the entropy change
of the water? (b) Of the reservoir? (c) What is the entropy change of the universe?
Solution
, ,
61. The Carnot cycle is represented by the temperature-entropy diagram shown below. (a) How
much heat is absorbed per cycle at the high-temperature reservoir? (b) How much heat is
exhausted per cycle at the low-temperature reservoir? (c) How much work is done per cycle by
the engine? (d) What is the efficiency of the engine?

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OpenStax University Physics Volume II
Unit 1: Thermodynamics
Chapter 4: The Second Law of Thermodynamics

Solution
a. 1200 J; b. 600 J; c. 600 J; d. 0.50
63. A monoatomic ideal gas (n moles) goes through a cyclic process shown below. Find the
change in entropy of the gas in each step and the total entropy change over the entire cycle.

Solution

65. A Carnot engine performs 100 J of work while discharging 200 J of heat each cycle. After
the temperature of the hot reservoir only is adjusted, it is found that the engine now does 130 J of
work while discarding the same quantity of heat. (a) What are the initial and final efficiencies of
the engine? (b) What is the fractional change in the temperature of the hot reservoir?
Solution
a. 0.33, 0.39; b. 0.91

Additional Problems
67. A 300-W heat pump operates between the ground, whose temperature is , and the
interior of a house at . What is the maximum amount of heat per hour that the heat pump
can supply to the house?
Solution

69. A Carnot engine employs 1.5 mol of nitrogen gas as a working substance, which is
considered as an ideal diatomic gas with at the working temperatures of the engine. The
Carnot cycle goes in the cycle ABCDA with AB being an isothermal expansion. The volume at
points A and C of the cycle are and 0.15 L, respectively. The engine operates

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OpenStax University Physics Volume II
Unit 1: Thermodynamics
Chapter 4: The Second Law of Thermodynamics
between two thermal baths of temperature 500 K and 300 K. (a) Find the values of volume at B
and D. (b) How much heat is absorbed by the gas in the AB isothermal expansion? (c) How much
work is done by the gas in the AB isothermal expansion? (d) How much heat is given up by the
gas in the CD isothermal expansion? (e) How much work is done by the gas in the CD
isothermal compression? (f) How much work is done by the gas in the BC adiabatic expansion?
(g) How much work is done by the gas in the DA adiabatic compression? (h) Find the value of
efficiency of the engine based on the net work and heat input. Compare this value to the
efficiency of a Carnot engine based on the temperatures of the two baths.
Solution
a. b. 13,000 J; c. 13,000 J; d. –8,000 J; e. –8,000 J; f. 6200 J; g. –
6200 J; h. ; with temperatures efficiency is , which is off likely by rounding errors.
71. A system consisting of 20.0 mol of a monoatomic ideal gas is cooled at constant pressure
from a volume of 50.0 L to 10.0 L. The initial temperature was 300 K. What is the change in
entropy of the gas?
Solution
–670 J/K
73. A Carnot engine operates between 550 °C and 20 °C baths and produces 300 kJ of energy in
each cycle. Find the change in entropy of the (a) hot bath and (b) cold bath, in each Carnot
cycle?
Solution
a. –570 J/K; b. 570 J/K
75. A 0.50-kg piece of aluminum at 250 °C is dropped into 1.0 kg of water at 20 °C. After
equilibrium is reached, what is the net entropy change of the system?
Solution
82 J/K
77. A heat engine operates between two temperatures such that the working substance of the
engine absorbs 5000 J of heat from the high-temperature bath and discharges 3000 J to the low-
temperature bath. The rest of the energy is converted into mechanical energy of the turbine. Find
(a) the amount of work produced by the engine and (b) the efficiency of the engine.
Solution
a. 2000 J; b.
79. A coal power plant consumes 100,000 kg of coal per hour and produces 500 MW of power.
If the heat of combustion of coal is 30 MJ/kg, what is the efficiency of the power plant?
Solution

81. A Carnot engine working between two heat baths of temperatures 600 K and 273 K
completes each cycle in 5 sec. In each cycle, the engine absorbs 10 kJ of heat. Find the power of
the engine.
Solution
1100 W

Challenge Problems
83. (a) An infinitesimal amount of heat is added reversibly to a system. By combining the first
and second laws, show that . (b) When heat is added to an ideal gas, its

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OpenStax University Physics Volume II
Unit 1: Thermodynamics
Chapter 4: The Second Law of Thermodynamics

temperature and volume change from . Show that the entropy change of n
moles of the gas is given by

Solution
derive
85. With the help of the two preceding problems, show that between states 1 and 2 of n
moles an ideal gas is given by

Solution
derive
87. A diatomic ideal gas is brought from an initial equilibrium state at and
to a final stage with and Use the results of the previous
problem to determine the entropy change per mole of the gas.
Solution
18 J/K
89. An ideal diesel cycle is shown below. This cycle consists of five strokes. In this case, only air
is drawn into the chamber during the intake stroke OA. The air is then compressed adiabatically
from state A to state B, raising its temperature high enough so that when fuel is added during the
power stroke BC, it ignites. After ignition ends at C, there is a further adiabatic power stroke CD.
Finally, there is an exhaust at constant volume as the pressure drops from to , followed by
a further exhaust when the piston compresses the chamber volume to zero.
(a) Use , , and to show that

.
(b) Use the fact that and are adiabatic to show that

.
(c) Since there is no preignition (remember, the chamber does not contain any fuel during the
compression), the compression ratio can be larger than that for a gasoline engine. Typically,
. For these values and show that , or an
efficiency of . Diesel engines actually operate at an efficiency of about
compared with for gasoline engines.

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OpenStax University Physics Volume II
Unit 1: Thermodynamics
Chapter 4: The Second Law of Thermodynamics

Solution
proof
91. Derive a formula for the coefficient of performance of a refrigerator using an ideal gas as a
working substance operating in the cycle shown below in terms of the properties of the three
states labeled 1, 2, and 3.

Solution

93. A Carnot refrigerator, working between 0 °C and 30 °C is used to cool a bucket of water
containing of water at 30 °C to 5 °C in 2 hours. Find the total amount of work needed.
Solution

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