4B70.30 - Adiabatic Gas Law Apparatus - Pasco

Pressure and Temperature Graphs
Adiabatic Cycle Graph
Code Number:
4B70.30
Demo Title:
Adiabatic Gas Law Apparatus - Pasco
Condition:
Excellent
Principle:
Adiabatic Expansion and Compression, Carnot Cycle
Area of Study:
Heat & Fluids

Disclaimer

Equipment:
Pasco adiabatic expansion apparatus, power supply, interface, and laptop computer.
Procedure:

Plug the pressure and temperature sensors into the right channels of the interface.  The adiabatic templates are saved in the computer so its just a matter of bringing them up and turning on the apparatus.  Make sure the external power supply is set to 10 V.  When you bring up the desired template, the program will prompt you to designate which sensor is plugged into the indicated channel.  This is due to the fact that the sensors in the apparatus are not standard sensors that are typically used with this interface.  The templates are set so that you can do either the adiabatic cycle or simultaneous pressure and temperature graphs very quickly in class, which means we are not monitoring the volume of the cylinder.  However, if you wish to have some volume data it is as follows:

  • 241.55 cc if the lever arm is touching the top stop.  
  • 96.93 cc if the lever arm is touching the bottom stop.
  • 15.39 cc for each cm that the piston is moved in the cylinder.  ie. if the piston is moved down one centimeter in the cylinder, the volume decreases by 15.39 cc.
References:
  • Riza Salar, "An Arduino-Based Experiment Designed to Investigate Gas Pressure", TPT, Vol. 59, #3, March 2021, p. 202.
  • Mickey D. Kutzner, Mateja Plantak, "Complete Cycle Experiments Using the Adiabatic Gas Law Apparatus",  TPT, Vol. 52, # 7, Oct. 2014, p. 418.
  • Roland Stout, "Pressure Oscillations in Adiabatic Compression", TPT, Vol. 49, # 5, p. 280, May 2011.
  • Jeff Chamberlain, "Determination of the Specific Heat Ratio of a Gas in a Plastic Syringe", TPT, Vol. 48, # 4, April 2010, p. 233.
  • Michael J. Moloney, Albert P. McGarvey, "A Simplified Adiabatic Compression Apparatus", TPT, Vol. 45, # 7, Oct. 2007, p. 452.
  • Dennis E. Krause and Walter J. Keeley, 'Determining the Heat Capacity Ratio of Air from "Almost Adiabatic" Compressions", TPT, Vol. 42, # 8, Nov. 2004, p. 481.
  • Carl E. Mungan, "Irreversible Adiabatic Compression of an Ideal Gas," TPT, Vol. 41, # 8,  Nov. 2003, p. 450.
  • Russell Akridge, "Particle - Model Derivation of pVg", TPT, Vol. 37, # 2, Feb. 1999, p. 110.
  • William W. McNairy, "Isothermal and Adiabatic Measurements", TPT, Vol. 34, # 3, Mar. 1996, p. 178.
  • D.W. Lamb and G.M. White, "Apparatus to Measure Adiabatic and Isothermal Processes", TPT, Vol. 34, # 5, May. 1996, p. 290.
  • Harvey S. Leff, "A Reminder for Us All", TPT, Vol. 34, # 3, Mar. 1996, p. 134.
  • Michael J. Nolan, "Thermodynamic Cycles - One More Time", TPT, Vol. 33, # 8, Dec. 1995, p. 573.
  • Randall D. Knight, "Exploring Counterclockwise Thermodynamic Cycles", AJP, Vol. 92, #7, July 2024, p. 511.
  • David S. Corti, Joshua A. Ciesar, Juan M. Vazquez, "Thermal Damping of the Motion of a Piston: Any Irreversibility Implies Dissipation", AJP, Vol. 92, #3, March 2024, p. 214.
  • Rumelo C. Amor, Jose Perico H. Esguerra, "Evolution of Ideal Gas Mixtures Confined in an Insulated Container by Two Identical Pistons", AJP, Vol. 78, # 9, p. 916, Sept. 2010.
  • P. M. Bellan, "A Microscopic, Mechanical Derivation of the Adiabatic Gas Relation", AJP, Vol. 72, # 5, May 2004, p. 679.
  • S. Velasco, A. Gonzalez, J. A. While, and A. Calvo Hernandez, "Heat Capacity of an Ideal Gas Along an Elliptical PV Cycle", AJP, Vol. 70, # 10, Oct. 2002, p. 1044.
  • Michael E. Loverude, Christian H. Kautz, and Paula R. L. Heron, "Student Understanding of the First Law of Thermodynamics: Relating Work to the Adiabatic Compression of an Ideal Gas", AJP, Vol. 70, # 2, Feb. 2002, p. 137.
  • S. Velasco, F. L. Roman, and J. Faro, "A Simple Experiment Measuring the Adiabatic Coefficient of Air", AJP, Vol. 66, #7, July 1998, p. 642.
  • J. Mottmann, "Laboratory Experiment for the Ratio of Specific Heats of Air", AJP, Vol. 63, #3, Mar. 1995, p. 259.
  • Raul Rechtman, "An Adiabatic Reversible Process", AJP, Vol. 56, # 12, Dec. 1988, p. 1104.
  • Don S. Lemons, "Nonadiabatic Compression of a Cold Gas", AJP, Vol. 50, # 7, July 1982, p. 607.
  • W. Bolton, "The Expansion and Contraction of a Gas", Book I - Properties of Materials, Physics Experiments and Projects, 1968, p. 43.
  • W. Bolton, "The Expansion of Air", Book I - Properties of Materials, Physics Experiments and Projects, 1968, p. 44.
  • PASCO Adiabatic Gas Law Apparatus Manual


Disclaimer: These demonstrations are provided only for illustrative use by persons affiliated with The University of Iowa and only under the direction of a trained instructor or physicist.  The University of Iowa is not responsible for demonstrations performed by those using their own equipment or who choose to use this reference material for their own purpose.  The demonstrations included here are within the public domain and can be found in materials contained in libraries, bookstores, and through electronic sources.  Performing all or any portion of any of these demonstrations, with or without revisions not depicted here entails inherent risks.  These risks include, without limitation, bodily injury (and possibly death), including risks to health that may be temporary or permanent and that may exacerbate a pre-existing medical condition; and property loss or damage.  Anyone performing any part of these demonstrations, even with revisions, knowingly and voluntarily assumes all risks associated with them.