Chapter 3, Problem 52P

A metallic container of fixed volume of $2.5\times {10}^{-3}$ m³ immersed in a large tank of temperature 27 ℃ contains two compartments separated by a freely movable wall. Initially, the wall is kept in place by a stopper so that there are 0.02 mol of the nitrogen gas on one side and 0.03 mol of the oxygen gas on the other side, each occupying half the volume. When the stopper is removed, the wall moves and comes to a final position. The movement of the wall is controlled so that the wall moves in infinitesimal quasi-static steps. (a) Find the final volumes of the two sides assuming the ideal gas behavior for the two gases. (b) How much work does each gas do on the other? (c) What is the change in the internal energy of each gas? (d) Find the amount of heat that enters or leaves each gas.