PHY 202
Your 'question form' report has been received. Scroll down through the document to see any comments I might have inserted, and my final comment at the end.
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Prof. Smith,
For test 1 of PHY202, the bottle engine question. How can I determine the vertical height? In the class notes you estimated the height.
The means by which you determine the vertical height of the water column depends on the information you are given.
To determine the column height using experimental data, then you measure it.
If, as in a typical test problem, you are given the minimum and maximum temperatures of the system, then you can determine the maximum height to which the column may be raised. First determine the maximum possible pressure P_max = P_min * (T_max / T_min). The water column is supported by the pressure difference P_max - P_min; you simply determine how high the column would need to be to exert this pressure.
The problem often specifies that the column be raised to some fraction of its maximum height. If you know the maximum height, and the fraction is specified, then it's easy to determine the height to which the column should be raised. The pressure will be the pressure required to accomplish this; the temperature will be the temperature at which the pressure reaches this level.
I believe both means of determining the water column height are covered in the Class Notes.
What is the R in the diatomic and monatomic equations 3/2, 5/2, 7/2R?
It's the same R used in the Ideal Gas Law PV = n R T. R = 8.31 J / (mole Kelvin).
See my notes and let me know if you have additional questions.