A long, rigid cylinder containing an ideal gas has its left end maintained at 600 K…
PHYSICS · Single correct · A Level · Physics · Further mechanics and thermal physics · Further mechanics and thermal physics
Problem
A long, rigid cylinder containing an ideal gas has its left end maintained at 600 K and its right end at 300 K. After a long time, a steady temperature gradient exists between the ends, but no net macroscopic flow of gas occurs. Which statement best describes the pressure along the length of the cylinder?
(a) P is greatest at the hot 600K end and decreases steadily toward the cold end.
(b) P varies approximately as T, so it is about 1.2 times larger at the hot end than at the cold end.
(c) The pressure is approximately uniform all along the cylinder, even though the temperature changes.
(d) P is greatest at the cold 300K end because the gas there is more densely packed.