PHYS 213 :: Physics Illinois :: University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

James Scholar Assignment #1

This assignment has two parts:

Modifications to the Ideal Gas law:
- Do some research on the 'corrections' to the Ideal gas law (Hint: van der Waals).
- Why do we need them? What impact do they have? Why can we often neglect them? (i.e., answer quantitatively for a particular gas. What % change they would make in a calculation for volume and pressure around standard temperature and pressure?)
- Also, look up the constants 'b' for both a monatomic and a diatomic gas (e.g., Ne and H2), and use the values to estimate the size (effective diameter, in Angstroms) of the atom and molecule. Interpret your result. Why is the 'a' constant so small for He, compared, e.g., to hydrogen?
- Try to relate to the concepts and calculations done in Physics 213.
Do some research and find out more about aerogel:
- How is it made? What are its properties?
- What are its applications? (give a sample heat conduction calculation, using the tools we learned in class; in particular, compare it [quantitatively] to more common 'insulators', like asbestos, fiberglass, etc.)
- What are the problems with widespread use?
- Try to relate to the concepts and calculations done in Physics 213.