Consider an isolated system (recall the definition of an isolated system) consisting of three compartments, X, Y, and Z. A noble gas is in the central compartment, X, with a pressure of 2 atm and Y and Z are under vacuum and are isolated from Xby valves. Consider 3 cases: (A) The valve between X and Y is opened and the gas expands until the system comesto equilibrium. Then, the valve between X and Z is opened and the system eventually reaches equilibrium again.
(B) The valves between X and Y and X and Z are opened simultaneously and the gas expands freely into both compartments until the system reaches equilibrium.
(C) Gas is released through the valves in infinitesimal steps that keep the system functionally at equilibrium throughout.
1. How do the internal energies of the final states of the systems after each process compare? One larger, one smaller, something else? Explain.
2. What change could you make to the described system to result in a bigger change in internal energy than that of the case above with the larger change in internal energy? Explain.
3. Which, if any, of the above processes would you expect to be reversible? Explain.
4. How does the entropy of the final resulting states following the three processes compare? Explain.
5. Which of the above will have the smallest entropy produced, and approximately what would it be?