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Isochoric Process

Easyphysics

A rigid steel container holds a fixed amount of gas that is heated by a hot plate so its pressure rises sharply. How much work is done by the gas during this heating?

Select the correct option:

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About This Question

Subject
physics
Chapter
thermodynamics
Topic
isochoric process
Difficulty
Easy
Year
2025
Tags
isochoric processconstant volumework done zerorigid containerinternal energy

Solution

Correct Answer:

Zero, because the volume cannot change

Work done by a gas is given by , meaning it depends entirely on a change in volume. A rigid steel container fixes the volume, so throughout the heating and the integral evaluates to zero regardless of how high the pressure climbs. Such a constant-volume process is called isochoric, and applying the First Law shows that all supplied heat goes directly into internal energy, . The option equating work to heat supplied describes an isothermal process, not this one. The option claiming negative work confuses rising pressure with compression, but no compression occurs because the walls do not move. The option misapplies the constant-pressure work formula, which is invalid here since both pressure changes and volume stays fixed. A quick check confirms the result: no boundary of the gas displaces, so the gas exerts no net force through any distance, and zero displacement means zero work.

This easy difficulty physics question is from the chapter thermodynamics, covering the topic of isochoric process. It appeared in the 2025 exam.

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