Head to savemyexams.co.

uk for more awesome resources

YOUR NOTES

A Level Physics CIE 

16. Thermodynamics

CONTENTS
16.1 The First Law of Thermodynamics
16.1.1 Internal energy
16.1.2 Work Done by a Gas
16.1.3 The First Law of Thermodynamics

Page 1 of 9

© 2015-2023 Save My Exams, Ltd. · Revision Notes, Topic Questions, Past Papers
 Head to savemyexams.co.uk for more awesome resources

16.1 The First Law of Thermodynamics YOUR NOTES


16.1.1 Internal energy

Defining Internal Energy

Energy can generally be classified into two forms: kinetic or potential energy
The molecules of all substances contain both kinetic and potential energies
The amount of kinetic and potential energy a substance contains depends on the phases
of matter (solid, liquid or gas), this is known as the internal energy
The internal energy of a substance is defined as:
The sum of the random distribution of kinetic and potential energies within a system of
molecules
The symbol for internal energy is U, with units of Joules (J)
The internal energy of a system is determined by:
Temperature
The random motion of molecules
The phase of matter: gases have the highest internal energy, solids have the lowest
The internal energy of a system can increase by:
Doing work on it
Adding heat to it
The internal energy of a system can decrease by:
Losing heat to its surroundings

 Exam Tip
When an exam question asks you to define “internal energy”, you can lose a mark for
not mentioning the “random motion” of the particles or the “random distribution”
of the energies, so make sure you include one of these in your definition!

Page 2 of 9

© 2015-2023 Save My Exams, Ltd. · Revision Notes, Topic Questions, Past Papers
 Head to savemyexams.co.uk for more awesome resources

Internal Energy & Temperature YOUR NOTES

The internal energy of an object is intrinsically related to its temperature 

When a container containing gas molecules is heated up, the molecules begin to move
around faster, increasing their kinetic energy
If the object is a solid, where the molecules are tightly packed, when heated the molecules
begin to vibrate more
Molecules in liquids and solids have both kinetic and potential energy because they are
close together and bound by intermolecular forces
However, ideal gas molecules are assumed to have no intermolecular forces
This means there have no potential energy, only kinetic energy
The (change in) internal energy of an ideal gas is equal to:

Therefore, the change in internal energy is proportional to the change in temperature:

ΔU ∝ ΔT
Where:
ΔU = change in internal energy (J)
ΔT = change in temperature (K)

As the container is heated up, the gas molecules move faster with higher kinetic energy and
therefore higher internal energy

Page 3 of 9

© 2015-2023 Save My Exams, Ltd. · Revision Notes, Topic Questions, Past Papers
 Head to savemyexams.co.uk for more awesome resources

YOUR NOTES

 Worked Example

A student suggests that, when an ideal gas is heated from 50 oC to 150 oC, the
internal energy of the gas is trebled.State and explain whether the student’s
suggestion is correct.

Step 1:           
Write down the relationship between internal energy and temperature
The internal energy of an ideal gas is directly proportional to its temperature
ΔU ∝ ΔT
Step 2:           
Determine whether the change in temperature (in K) increases by three times
The temperature change is the thermodynamic temperature ie. Kelvin
The temperature change in degrees from 50 oC to 150 oC increases by three times
The temperature change in Kelvin is:
50 oC + 273.15 = 323.15 K
150 oC + 273.15 = 423.15 K

Therefore, the temperature change, in Kelvin, does not increase by three times
Step 3:           
Write a concluding statement relating the temperature change to the internal energy
The internal energy is directly proportional to the temperature
The thermodynamic temperature has not trebled, therefore, neither has the internal energy
Therefore, the student is incorrect

 Exam Tip
If an exam question about an ideal gas asks for the total internal energy, remember
that this is equal to the total kinetic energy since an ideal gas has zero potential
energy

Page 4 of 9

© 2015-2023 Save My Exams, Ltd. · Revision Notes, Topic Questions, Past Papers
 Head to savemyexams.co.uk for more awesome resources

16.1.2 Work Done by a Gas YOUR NOTES


Work Done by a Gas
When a gas expands, it does work on its surroundings by exerting pressure on the walls of
the container it's in
This is important, for example, in a steam engine where expanding steam pushes a piston to
turn the engine
The work done when a volume of gas changes at constant pressure is defined as:
W = pΔV
Where:
W = work done (J)
p = external pressure (Pa)
V = volume of gas (m3)

For a gas inside a cylinder enclosed by a moveable piston, the force exerted by the gas
pushes the piston outwards
Therefore, the gas does work on the piston

The gas expansion pushes the piston a distance s

Derivation
The volume of gas is at constant pressure. This means the force F exerted by the gas on the
piston is equal to :
F=p×A
Where:
p = pressure of the gas (Pa)
A = cross-sectional area of the cylinder (m2)
The definition of work done is:
Page 5 of 9

© 2015-2023 Save My Exams, Ltd. · Revision Notes, Topic Questions, Past Papers
 Head to savemyexams.co.uk for more awesome resources

W=F×s YOUR NOTES

Where: 
F = force (N)
s = displacement in the direction of force (m)
The displacement of the gas d multiplied by the cross-sectional area A is the increase in
volume ΔV of the gas:
W=p×A×s
This gives the equation for the work done when the volume of a gas changes at constant
pressure:
W = pΔV
Where:
ΔV = increase in the volume of the gas in the piston when expanding (m3)

This is assuming that the surrounding pressure p does not change as the gas expands
This will be true if the gas is expanding against the pressure of the atmosphere, which
changes very slowly
When the gas expands (V increases), work is done by the gas
When the gas is compressed (V decreases), work is done on the gas

 Worked Example
When a balloon is inflated, its rubber walls push against the air around it.Calculate
the work done when the balloon is blown up from 0.015 m3 to 0.030
m3.Atmospheric pressure = 1.0 × 105 Pa.

Step 1: Write down the equation for the work done by a gas
W = pΔV
Step 2: Substitute in values
                        ΔV = final volume − initial volume = 0.030 − 0.015 = 0.015 m3
W = (1.0 × 105) × 0.015 = 1500 J

 Exam Tip
The pressure p in the work done by a gas equation is not the pressure of the gas but
the pressure of the surroundings. This is because when a gas expands, it does work
on the surroundings.

Page 6 of 9

© 2015-2023 Save My Exams, Ltd. · Revision Notes, Topic Questions, Past Papers
 Head to savemyexams.co.uk for more awesome resources

16.1.3 The First Law of Thermodynamics YOUR NOTES


The First Law of Thermodynamics
The first law of thermodynamics is based on the principle of conservation of energy
When energy is put into a gas by heating it or doing work on it, its internal energy must
increase:
The increase in internal energy = Energy supplied by heating + Work done on the
system
The first law of thermodynamics is therefore defined as:
ΔU = q + W
Where:
ΔU = increase in internal energy (J)
q = energy supplied to the system by heating (J)
W = work done on the system (J)
The first law of thermodynamics applies to all situations, not just for gases
There is an important sign convention used for this equation
A positive value for internal energy (+ΔU) means:
The internal energy ΔU increases
Heat q is added to the system
Work W is done on the system (or by a gas)
A negative value for internal energy (−ΔU) means:
The internal energy ΔU decreases
Heat q is taken away from the system
Work W is done by the system (or on a gas)
This is important when thinking about the expansion or compression of a gas
When the gas expands, it transfers some energy (does work) to its surroundings
This decreases the overall energy of the gas
Therefore, when the gas expands, work is done by the gas (−W)
When a gas expands, work done W is negative
When the gas is compressed, work is done on the gas (+W)
When a gas is compressed, work done W is positive

Page 7 of 9

© 2015-2023 Save My Exams, Ltd. · Revision Notes, Topic Questions, Past Papers
 Head to savemyexams.co.uk for more awesome resources

YOUR NOTES

Positive or negative work done depends on whether the gas is compressed or expanded
Graphs of Constant Pressure & Volume
Graphs of pressure p against volume V can provide information about the work done and
internal energy of the gas
The work done is represented by the area under the line
A constant pressure process is represented as a horizontal line
If the volume is increasing (expansion), work is done by the gas and internal energy
increases
If the arrow is reversed and the volume is decreasing (compression), work is done on
the gas and internal energy decreases
A constant volume process is represented as a vertical line
In a process with constant volume, the area under the curve is zero
Therefore, no work is done when the volume stays the same

Page 8 of 9

© 2015-2023 Save My Exams, Ltd. · Revision Notes, Topic Questions, Past Papers
 Head to savemyexams.co.uk for more awesome resources

YOUR NOTES

Work is only done when the volume of a gas changes

 Worked Example
The volume occupied by 1.00 mol of a liquid at 50 oC is 2.4 × 10-5 m3. When the
liquid is vaporised at an atmospheric pressure of 1.03 × 105 Pa, the vapour has a
volume of 5.9 × 10-2  m3.The latent heat to vaporise 1.00 mol of this liquid at 50 oC
at atmospheric pressure is 3.48 × 104 J.Determine for this change of state the
increase in internal energy ΔU of the system.

Step 1: Write down the first law of thermodynamics

ΔU = q + W
Step 2: Write the value of heating q of the system
This is the latent heat, the heat required to vaporise the liquid = 3.48 × 104 J
Step 3: Calculate the work done W
W = pΔV
ΔV = final volume − initial volume = 5.9 × 10-2 − 2.4 × 10-5 = 0.058976 m3
p = atmospheric pressure  = 1.03 × 105 Pa
W = (1.03 × 105) × 0.058976 = 6074.528 = 6.07 × 103 J
Since the gas is expanding, this work done is negative
W = −6.07 × 103 J
Step 4: Substitute the values into first law of thermodynamics
ΔU = 3.48 × 104  + (−6.07 × 103) = 28 730 = 29 000 J (2 s.f.)

Page 9 of 9

© 2015-2023 Save My Exams, Ltd. · Revision Notes, Topic Questions, Past Papers