
Two vessels A and B are connected via stopcock. The vessel A is filled with a gas at a certain pressure. The entire assembly is immersed in water and is allowed to come to thermal equilibrium with water. After opening the stopcock the gas from vessel A expands into vessel B and no change in temperature is observed in the thermometer. Which of the following statement is true?
- AOption (a)
- BOption (b)
- COption (c)
- DOption (d)
The pressure in the vessel B before opening the stopcock is zero.
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Correct answer
The pressure in the vessel B before opening the stopcock is zero.
Why this answer is correct
CONCEPT:
Free Expansion of Gas and Thermodynamic Changes
- When a gas expands into a vacuum (free expansion), there is no external pressure opposing the expansion, i.e., Pext = 0.
- In free expansion:
- No work is done by the gas (dw = 0) because the external pressure is zero.
- No heat is exchanged with the surroundings (dq = 0) if the system is insulated or thermally isolated.
- For an ideal gas undergoing free expansion, the internal energy (ΔU) remains unchanged since internal energy depends only on temperature and temperature is constant.
EXPLANATION:
- In the problem, two vessels A and B are connected with a stopcock.
- Initially, vessel A contains gas at certain pressure, and vessel B is evacuated (pressure in B is zero).
- Upon opening the stopcock, gas expands freely into vessel B (vacuum), so Pext = 0.
- Since the assembly is immersed in water and allowed to equilibrate, temperature remains constant.
- Therefore, no work is done (dw = 0), no heat is exchanged (dq = 0), and internal energy change is zero (ΔU = 0).
Hence, the pressure in vessel B before opening the stopcock must be zero.
The correct answer is The pressure in the vessel B before opening the stopcock is zero.

