CarnotVDW.mcd
Requires Mathcad 2000 
CarnotVDW8.mcd
CarnotVDW6.mcd
CarnotVDWA.nb 
CarnotVDWB.nb
Read Only Documents:
CarnotVDW.pdf CarnotVDWA_nb.pdf CarnotVDWB_nb.pdfComputational Documents:
CarnotVDW.mcd
Requires Mathcad 2000
CarnotVDW8.mcd
CarnotVDW6.mcd
CarnotVDWA.nb
CarnotVDWB.nb
Read Only Documents:
CarnotVDW.pdf
CarnotVDWA_nb.pdf
CarnotVDWB_nb.pdf
July 2001
Citation: Harris, H.
H. J.
Chem. Educ. 2001, 78, 1556
Abstract
In this document students investigate the Carnot cycle with numerical calculations
on an ideal, monatomic gas. They discover the consequences on the net work and
the thermodynamic efficiency of changing variables such as the pressure to which
expansion occurs, and the working temperatures of the process. Especially informative
are indicator diagrams in color, that illustrate the work associated with each
step of the cycle (color indicator diagrams are not available when using Mathcad6).
Pressure versus volume is integrated using the trapezoid rule, and compared
to exact calculations.
A much more challenging problem is to repeat the calculation, except for a real
gas equation of state. The van der Waals model of methane is thoroughly illustrated
as an example; the instructor can decide how much of this help would be provided
to students. Student groups might be assigned different gases or different equations
of state, with as much of the van der Waals development provided as is appropriate
for the course and the students.
The different levels of difficulty in the document are presented as columns
in the document. In the first column of pages the calculations are developed
for the ideal, monoatomic gas. The second column of pages contains the van der
Waals equation implementation. The third column of document contains derivations
of equations that are needed for the calculations involving nonideal gases.
Comments to: Hal Harris at hharris@umsl.edu .
Keywords: Upper-Division Undergraduate; Physical Chemistry; Computer-Based Learning; Symbolic Mathematics; Mathcad; Mathematica; Thermodynamics; Gases
Audience: Upper-Division Undergraduate
Domain: Physical Chemistry
Pedagogy: Computer-Based Learning
Topics: Gases; Mathematics / Symbolic Mathematics; Thermodynamics
Description: Mathcad document that allows students to investigate the Carnot cycle with numerical calculations on an ideal, monatomic gas. An advanced assignment is provided for a Van der Waals gas.
Format: Mathcad; Mathematica
© Copyright 2001 by the Division of Chemical Education, Inc., American Chemical Society. All rights reserved. For classroom use by teachers, one copy per student in the class may be made free of charge. Write to JCE Online, jceonline@chem.wisc.edu, for permission to place a document, free of charge, on a class Intranet.
Documents
are reproduced here with the permission of the Journal. Instructors can obtain
the interactive SymMath documents at url: http://www.jce.divched.org/JCEDlib/SymMath/index.html
where name and password or institutional IP number access is required.
