Science Buddies: "Ask an Expert"

A steam engine uses the expansion of water vapors in a piston cylinder to do work. If the pressure of a gas in a steam engine piston is kept constant while the gas expands. Which of the following is a true statement?
(a) Since the pressure is constant, no work will be done on the piston.
(b) Since the pressure is constant, the work on the piston is constant (meaning that it does not matter how
far the piston move, the work will be the same value).
(c) Since the pressure is constant, the work will increase linearly with the distance traveled by the piston.
(d) The temperature of a gas cannot be increased when it is expanding, so the assumption of the problem is wrong from start.
(e) Since the temperature increases, the internal energy of the vapors will increase. So the piston will do work on the gas.

Hello Seth,

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Thank you.