Ncert Exercises & Solutions

The pressure-volume work for an ideal gas can be calculated by using the expression $W = \int_{V_{i}}^{V_{f}} p_{ext} d V$ .

The work can also be calculated from the pV-plot by using the area under the curve within the specified limits.
An ideal gas is compressed (a) reversibly or (b) irreversibly from volume $V_{i}$ to $V_{f}$ .
The correct option is:

1. $W (reversible) = W (irreversible)$

2. $W (reversible) < W (irreversible)$