MCQEasyJEE 2023Degrees of Freedom & Law of Equipartition

JEE Physics 2023 Question with Solution

Heat energy of 735J735 \, \text{J} is given to a diatomic gas allowing the gas to expand at constant pressure. Each gas molecule rotates around an internal axis but does not oscillate. The increase in the internal energy of the gas will be:

  • A

    525J525 \, \text{J}

  • B

    441J441 \, \text{J}

  • C

    572J572 \, \text{J}

  • D

    735J735 \, \text{J}

Answer

Correct answer:A

Step-by-step solution

Standard Method

Given: Heat supplied is Q=735JQ = 735 \, \text{J}. The gas is diatomic, expands at constant pressure, rotates but does not oscillate.

Find: Increase in internal energy ΔU\Delta U.

For a diatomic gas with rotational degrees of freedom active and vibrational modes absent,

f=5f = 5

So,

CV=f2R=52R,CP=CV+R=72RC_V = \frac{f}{2}R = \frac{5}{2}R, \qquad C_P = C_V + R = \frac{7}{2}R

At constant pressure,

Q=nCPΔTQ = n C_P \Delta T

and the increase in internal energy is

ΔU=nCVΔT\Delta U = n C_V \Delta T

Therefore,

ΔU=CVCPQ=52R72R×735=57×735=525J\Delta U = \frac{C_V}{C_P} Q = \frac{\frac{5}{2}R}{\frac{7}{2}R} \times 735 = \frac{5}{7} \times 735 = 525 \, \text{J}

Therefore, the increase in internal energy is 525J525 \, \text{J}. The correct option is A.

The solution contains a discrepancy because it labels the correct option as C, but the worked value is 525J525 \, \text{J}, which matches option A.

Heat Capacity Ratio Approach

Given: The supplied heat is 735J735 \, \text{J} at constant pressure.

For a diatomic gas,

Q=nCPΔTQ = n C_P \Delta T

and

ΔU=nCVΔT\Delta U = n C_V \Delta T

Hence,

ΔUQ=CVCP\frac{\Delta U}{Q} = \frac{C_V}{C_P}

For a diatomic gas without vibration,

CV=52R,CP=72RC_V = \frac{5}{2}R, \qquad C_P = \frac{7}{2}R

So,

ΔUQ=57\frac{\Delta U}{Q} = \frac{5}{7}

Thus,

ΔU=57×735=525J\Delta U = \frac{5}{7} \times 735 = 525 \, \text{J}

Therefore, the internal energy increases by 525J525 \, \text{J}.

Common mistakes

  • Using ΔU=Q\Delta U = Q directly is incorrect because the process is at constant pressure, so part of the heat goes into work done by expansion. Use ΔU=CVCPQ\Delta U = \frac{C_V}{C_P}Q instead.

  • Taking the diatomic gas as if it had only 3 degrees of freedom is wrong. Since rotational motion is allowed and vibration is absent, the correct number is f=5f = 5.

  • Using the option label from the solution without checking the calculation is a mistake. The worked value is 525J525 \, \text{J}, which corresponds to option A, not option C.

Practice more Degrees of Freedom & Law of Equipartition questions

Get unlimited AI-adaptive practice, mastery tracking, and an AI tutor that explains every step — free to start.

Related questions