AP PHYSICS 2 CLASS 1: THERMODYNAMICS, PART 1

For all multiple-choice questions, please answer them directly on the Classkick interface by clicking on the
selection box. The printed copy is for reference only.

1. Air is made up primarily of nitrogen and oxygen. In an enclosed room with a constant temperature, which of the
following statements is correct concerning the nitrogen and oxygen gases?
(A) The nitrogen gas molecules have a higher average kinetic energy than the oxygen gas molecules.
(B) The nitrogen gas molecules have the same average kinetic energy as the oxygen gas molecules.
(C) The nitrogen gas molecules have a lower average kinetic energy than the oxygen gas molecules.
(D) More information is necessary to compare the average kinetic energies of the two gases.

2. Air is made up primarily of nitrogen and oxygen. In an enclosed room with a constant temperature, which of the
following statements is correct concerning the nitrogen and oxygen gases?
(A) The nitrogen gas molecules have a higher velocity than the oxygen gas molecules.
(B) The nitrogen gas molecules have the same velocity as the oxygen gas molecules.
(C) The nitrogen gas molecules have a lower velocity than the oxygen gas molecules.
(D) It is impossible to compare the velocity of the two gases without knowing the temperature of the air and the
percentage of nitrogen and oxygen in the room.

3. When using the ideal gas law, 𝑃𝑉 = 𝑛𝑅𝑇,

(A) 𝑃 can be gauge pressure
(B) 𝑛 can be in kilograms
(C) 𝑇 can be in degrees Celsius
(D) none of the above

4. For ideal gases, the ratio 𝑃𝑉/𝑇 is

(A) equal to Avogadro’s number
(B) equal to Boltzmann’s constant
(C) independent of the number of molecules
(D) independent of the chemical nature of the molecules

5. The volume of an ideal gas at constant pressure is proportional to its

(A) Fahrenheit temperature
(B) Celsius temperature
(C) Absolute temperature
(D) Molar mass

6. Two identical rooms are connected by an open door. The temperature in one room is greater than the temperature
in the other. Which room contains the most gas molecules?
(A) The warmer room.
(B) The colder room.
(C) The number of gas molecules will be the same in both rooms.
(D) It is impossible to determine without more information.
7. In an experiment, a gas is confined in a cylinder with a movable piston. Force is applied to the piston to increase
the pressure and change the volume of the gas. Each time the gas is compressed, it is allowed to return to a room
temperature of 20 ◦ C. The data gathered from the experiment is shown in the table. What should be plotted on
the vertical and horizontal axes so the slope of the graph can be used to determine the number of moles of gas
in the cylinder?

Pressure (105 Pa) Volume (10−3 m3 )

1.0 25
1.5 17
1.8 14
2.2 11
2.6 9.6
3.3 7.6

(A) 𝑃 and 𝑉 2 (B) 𝑃 and 𝑉 (C) 𝑃 and 𝑉 1/2 (D) 𝑃 and 1/𝑉

8. Two sealed cylinders holding different gases are placed one on top of the other so heat can flow between them.
Cylinder A is filled with hydrogen. Cylinder B is filled with helium moving with an average speed that is half
that of the hydrogen atoms. Helium atoms have four times the mass of hydrogen atoms. Which of the following
best describes the transfer of heat between the two containers by conduction?
(A) Net heat flows from cylinder A to cylinder B, because heat flows from higher kinetic energy atoms to lower
kinetic energy atoms.
(B) Net heat flows from cylinder B to cylinder A, because heat flows from higher kinetic energy atoms to lower
kinetic energy atoms.
(C) There is no net heat transfer between the two cylinders, because both gases have the same average atomic
kinetic energy.
(D) There is no net heat transfer between the two cylinders, because heat conduction requires the movement of
atoms between the cylinder, and the cylinders are sealed.

9. The graph above shows the distribution of speeds for one mole of hydrogen at temperature 𝑇, pressure 𝑃, and
volume 𝑉. How would the graph change if the sample was changed from one mole hydrogen to one mole of
argon at the same temperature, pressure, and volume?
(A) The peak will shift to the left
(B) The peak will shift upward and to the left
(C) The peak will shift to the right
(D) The peak will shift downward and to the right
10. A fixed mass of oxygen (O2 , molecular mass 32 g/mol) is contained in a cylinder whose volume is 2.80 litres.
The pressure is 148 atm when the temperature is 23 ◦ C. Find the mass of oxygen in the cylinder.
(A) 20 g
(B) 80 g
(C) 140 g
(D) 280 g
(E) 546 g

For all free-response (problem-solving) questions, we recommend that you do all your work on a separate
piece of paper, and upload them onto Classkick as an image or PDF file. The printed copy (downloaded from
the school website) is for reference only.

11. The specific heat capacity of air at 0 ◦ C is 1.00 J/g · K measured at constant pressure. Assuming that air is an
ideal gas with a molar mass of 𝑀 = 29 g/mol,
(a) what is its specific heat capacity at 0 ◦ C at constant volume?

(b) How much internal energy is there in 1 L of air at 0 ◦ C?

12. One mole of a ideal diatomic gas is heated at constant volume from 300 to 600 K.
(a) Find the increase in internal energy, work done, and heat added

(b) Find the same quantities if the gas is heated at constant pressure. (Use the first law of thermodynamic.)
13. A piece of ice is dropped from a height 𝐻.
(a) Find the minimum value of 𝐻 such that all the ice melts when it makes a completely inelastic collision with
the ground. Assume that all the mechanical energy lost goes into melting the ice.

(b) Is it reasonable to neglect the variation in the acceleration of gravity in doing this problem

(c) Comment on the reasonableness of neglecting air resistance (drag). What effect would air resistance have
on your answer to part (a)?

14. A 450 mL cup of coffee is too hot to drink at 91 ◦ C, so 100 mL of cold water at 6.5 ◦ C is added to cool it off.
(a) What is the final temperature of the drink?

(b) What assumptions do you have to make in order to solve this problem?
 Area

Piston

𝐻 Gas

15. An experiment is performed to determine the number 𝑛 of moles of an ideal gas in the cylinder shown above.
The cylinder is fitted with a movable, frictionless piston of area 𝐴. The piston is in equilibrium and is supported
by the pressure of the gas. The gas is heated while its pressure 𝑃 remains constant. Measurements are made of
the temperature 𝑇 of the gas and the height 𝐻 of the bottom of the piston above the base of the cylinder and are
recorded in the table below. Assume that the thermal expansion of the apparatus can be ignored.

𝑇 (K) 𝐻 (m)
300 1.11
325 1.19
355 1.29
375 1.37
405 1.47
(a) Write a relationship between the quantities 𝑇 and 𝐻, in terms of the given quantities and fundamental
constants, that will allow you to determine 𝑛.

(b) Plot the data on the axes below so that you will be able to determine 𝑛 from the relationship in part (a).
Label the axes with appropriate numbers to show the scale.
𝐻 (m)

𝑇 (K)

(c) Using your graph and the values 𝐴 = 0.027 m2 and 𝑃 = 1.0 atm, determine the experimental value of 𝑛.