Specific Heat — Cp, Cv, γ for mono/di/polyatomic gases
Thermodynamics & KTG
21
JEE Qs
8%
Hard
75
min
Thoroughly understand the origin of specific heats through degrees of freedom and the equipartition theorem to easily derive and recall values for different gases and their mixtures, especially for adiabatic processes.
🧮 Key Formulas
✅ Key Points for JEE
- 1Molar specific heat at constant pressure (C_p) is always greater than at constant volume (C_v) for ideal gases, because at constant pressure, some heat energy is used to do work against the external pressure in addition to increasing internal energy.
- 2Mayer's relation (C_p - C_v = R) is a fundamental relationship for ideal gases and is derived from the First Law of Thermodynamics.
- 3The values of C_p, C_v, and γ for an ideal gas depend on its molecular structure through the concept of degrees of freedom (f), which determine the internal energy U = (f/2)nRT.
- 4Degrees of freedom typically include 3 translational, 2 rotational for linear molecules (like diatomic), and 3 rotational for non-linear molecules (like polyatomic). Vibrational degrees of freedom are usually activated only at high temperatures.
- 5The ratio γ = C_p/C_v is a crucial parameter in adiabatic processes and determines the relationship between pressure, volume, and temperature (e.g., PV^γ = constant).
⚠️ Common Mistakes
- ✕Confusing specific heat capacity (per unit mass) with molar specific heat (per mole) and misapplying formulas.
- ✕Incorrectly counting degrees of freedom, especially for polyatomic gases or neglecting the temperature dependence of vibrational modes.
- ✕Applying Mayer's relation (C_p - C_v = R) to real gases, solids, or liquids where it is not valid in this simple form.
- ✕Errors in calculating the effective C_p, C_v, or γ for mixtures of gases.
📝 Practice Questions
See allQ29.Given below are two statements. One is labelled as Assertion (A) and the other is labelled as Reason (R). Assertion (A) : With the increase in the pressure of an ideal gas, the volume falls off more rapidly in an isothermal process in comparison to the adiabatic process. Reason (R) : In isothermal process, PV = constant, while in adiabatic process PVγ = constant. Here γ is the ratio of specific heats, P is the pressure and V is the volume of the ideal gas. In the light of the above statements, choose the correct answer from the options given below : (1) Both (A) and (R) are true and (R) is the correct (2) Both (A) and (R) are true but (R) is NOT the explanation of (A) correct explanation of (A) (3) (A) is true but (R) is false (4) (A) is false but (R) is true 2025 (29 Jan Shift 2) JEE Main Previous Year Paper
Q40.A cup of coffee cools from 90∘C to 80∘C in t minutes when the room temperature is 20∘C. The time taken by the similar cup of coffee to cool from 80∘C to 60∘C at the same room temperature is : (1) 13 10 t (2) 1013 t (3) 13 5 t (4) 135 t
Q42. A poly-atomic molecule ( CV = 3R, CP = 4R, where R is gas constant) goes from phase space point A (PA = 105 Pa, VA = 4 × 10−6 m3) to point B (PB = 5 × 104 Pa, VB = 6 × 10−6 m3) to point 2025 (29 Jan Shift 2) JEE Main Previous Year Paper C (PC = 104 Pa, VC = 8 × 10−6 m3). A to B is an adiabatic path and B to C is an isothermal path. The net heat absorbed per unit mole by the system is : (1) 500R(ln 3 + ln 4) (2) 450R(ln 4 −ln 3) (3) 500R ln 2 (4) 400R ln 4
Q29.An amount of ice of mass 10−3 kg and temperature −10∘C is transformed to vapour of temperature 110∘C by applying heat. The total amount of work required for this conversion is, (Take, specific heat of ice = 2100Jkg−1 K−1 , specific heat of water = 4180Jkg−1 K−1 , specific heat of steam = 1920Jkg−1 K−1 , Latent heat of ice = 3.35 × 105Jkg−1 and Latent heat of steam = 2.25 × 106 Jkg−1 ) (1) 3043 J (2) 3024 J (3) 3003 J (4) 3022 J
Q41.Two spherical bodies of same materials having radii 0.2 m and 0.8 m are placed in same atmosphere. The temperature of the smaller body is 800 K and temperature of the bigger body is 400 K . If the energy radiated from the smaller body is E, the energy radiated from the bigger body is (assume, effect of the surrounding temperature to be negligible), (1) 16 E (2) E (3) 64 E (4) 256 E
Q49.Three conductors of same length having thermal conductivity k1, k2 and k3 are connected as shown in figure. Area of cross sections of 1st and 2nd conductor are same and for 3rd conductor it is double of the 1st conductor. The temperatures are given in the figure. In steady state condition, the value of θ is _______ ∘C. (Given : k1 = 60Js−1 m−1 K−1, k2 = 120Js−1 m−1 K−1, k3 = 135Js−1 m−1 K−1 ) ∣ ∣∣ 2025 (22 Jan Shift 1) JEE Main Previous Year Paper
NCERT Chapters
- Class 11 Physics Ch 12: Thermodynamics
- Class 11 Physics Ch 13: Kinetic Theory