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A cylinder of gas is compressed by a piston from an initial volume of 125 liters to a final volume of 90 liters. The compression occurs at constant pressure, and the work done on the gas by the piston is [tex]\(10^4\)[/tex] joules. What is the gas pressure during the compression?
(1 liter [tex]\(=10^{-3}\)[/tex] meters[tex]\(^3\)[/tex])

A. [tex]\(4 \times 10^2\)[/tex] pascals
B. [tex]\(3 \times 10^5\)[/tex] pascals
C. [tex]\(1 \times 10^5\)[/tex] pascals
D. [tex]\(3 \times 10^4\)[/tex] pascals
E. [tex]\(3 \times 10^{-1}\)[/tex] pascals



Answer :

To determine the gas pressure during the compression, we need to use the work-energy principle for a gas under constant pressure. The work (W) done on the gas by the piston is given by the formula:

[tex]\[ W = P \Delta V \][/tex]

where:
- [tex]\( W \)[/tex] is the work done,
- [tex]\( P \)[/tex] is the constant pressure,
- [tex]\( \Delta V \)[/tex] is the change in volume.

First, let's convert the initial volume ([tex]\( V_{initial} \)[/tex]) and the final volume ([tex]\( V_{final} \)[/tex]) from liters to cubic meters:
- 1 liter = [tex]\( 10^{-3} \)[/tex] cubic meters
- [tex]\( V_{initial} = 125 \)[/tex] liters = [tex]\( 125 \times 10^{-3} \)[/tex] cubic meters = [tex]\( 0.125 \)[/tex] cubic meters
- [tex]\( V_{final} = 90 \)[/tex] liters = [tex]\( 90 \times 10^{-3} \)[/tex] cubic meters = [tex]\( 0.09 \)[/tex] cubic meters

Next, calculate the change in volume ([tex]\( \Delta V \)[/tex]):
[tex]\[ \Delta V = V_{final} - V_{initial} \][/tex]
[tex]\[ \Delta V = 0.09 \, \text{m}^3 - 0.125 \, \text{m}^3 \][/tex]
[tex]\[ \Delta V = -0.035 \, \text{m}^3 \][/tex]

Since the volume is being compressed, [tex]\( \Delta V \)[/tex] is negative. For the purposes of calculating pressure, we consider the magnitude of [tex]\( \Delta V \)[/tex]:
[tex]\[ |\Delta V| = 0.035 \, \text{m}^3 \][/tex]

Given that the work done on the gas ([tex]\( W \)[/tex]) is [tex]\( 10^4 \)[/tex] joules, we can solve for the pressure [tex]\( P \)[/tex] using the formula [tex]\( W = P |\Delta V| \)[/tex]:
[tex]\[ P = \frac{W}{|\Delta V|} \][/tex]
[tex]\[ P = \frac{10^4 \, \text{J}}{0.035 \, \text{m}^3} \][/tex]
[tex]\[ P = \frac{10^4}{0.035} \][/tex]
[tex]\[ P \approx 2.857 \times 10^5 \, \text{Pa} \][/tex]

Since the pressure value we calculated is approximately [tex]\( 2.857 \times 10^5 \)[/tex] pascals, the closest answer choice is:

B. [tex]\( 3 \times 10^5 \)[/tex] pascals

Thus, the correct answer is [tex]\( \text{B. } 3 \times 10^5 \text{ pascals} \)[/tex].

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