A bicycle suspension fork contains a sealed chamber holding a fixed mass of air.
During a slow test, the air remains at constant temperature. Before the air is compressed, its pressure is 400 kPa. At the end of the compression, its pressure is 600 kPa and its volume is 40 cm3.
When the bicycle travels over a bump, a piston compresses the air rapidly. The piston does work on the air.
Calculate the volume of the air before it is compressed.
Use the equation
p1×V1=p2×V2p_1 \times V_1 = p_2 \times V_2p1×V1=p2×V2
A temperature sensor shows that the air is warmer immediately after the rapid compression.
Explain this change in temperature.
In a further test, the piston produces the same change in volume much more slowly.
Explain how the slower compression affects the energy transferred from the air to the surroundings while the piston is moving.
108 exam-style questions on Edexcel GCSE Physics 14.3 Gas pressure and temperature, covering 14.3.1 Gas pressure and particle motion, 14.3.2 Temperature and pressure at constant volume, 14.3.3 Absolute zero and the kelvin scale, 14.3.4 Compressing and expanding gases, 14.3.5 Volume and pressure at constant temperature, and 14.3.6 Doing work on a gas. Each one has a worked solution and a mark scheme showing where the marks go.