Example of Heat and Work
Let us take an example to understand the difference between heat and work.
Consider a gas confined within a piston-cylinder arrangement. When the gas expands, it can do work on the piston by exerting a force over a distance. This work is given by the formula:
W =P⋅ΔV
whereW is the work done, P is the pressure exerted by the gas, and ΔV is the change in volume of the gas.
Conversely, when we heat the gas by applying heat Q to it. The increase in temperature causes the gas molecules to move faster, leading to an increase in its internal energy. This heat transfer is given by:
Q=mcΔT
where Q is the heat transfer, m is the mass of the gas, c is its specific heat capacity, and ΔT is the change in temperature.
In this example,
- Work and heat are both forms of energy transfer.
- Work is the energy transferred due to the displacement of the piston, while heat is the energy transferred due to the temperature difference between the gas and its surroundings.
- The key difference is that work involves mechanical energy transfer through displacement, while heat involves thermal energy transfer through temperature change.
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Difference Between Heat and Work
Heat and work are related forms of energy transfer. They play important roles in thermodynamics. Heat is energy transferred between systems due to temperature differences, while work is energy transferred through the application of force over a distance. In many thermodynamic processes, both heat and work are involved in changing the state of a system.
In this article, we will discuss about the difference between heat and work.