ERIC Number: EJ1362351
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2022-Sep
Pages: 3
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0031-921X
EISSN: EISSN-1943-4928
All about Polytropic Processes
Knight, Randall
Physics Teacher, v60 n6 p422-424 Sep 2022
Of all the conceivable ideal-gas processes, almost all introductory physics textbooks as well as more advanced texts on thermodynamics emphasize only four: isochoric, isobaric, isothermal, and adiabatic (isentropic). These are processes in which a state variable--volume, pressure, temperature, or entropy--remains constant. It turns out that these four processes are examples of a more general ideal-gas process, called a "polytropic process," in which the specific heat remains constant. Polytropic processes are frequently discussed in engineering thermodynamics but rarely in physics. The goal of this paper is to bring polytropic processes to the attention of physics instructors. These processes have interesting properties (such as, in some cases, negative specific heat), they are easily accessible at the introductory physics level, and they expand the range of examples and problems that can be explored in thermodynamics.
Descriptors: Physics, Introductory Courses, Science Instruction, Thermodynamics, Scientific Concepts, Heat
American Association of Physics Teachers. One Physics Ellipse, College Park, MD 20740. Tel: 301-209-3300; Fax: 301-209-0845; e-mail: pubs@aapt.org; Web site: http://aapt.scitation.org/journal/pte
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Descriptive
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A