Question

When heat is added to a system, it goes into which of the following?a.)doing work and/or increasing the internal energyb.)adding to the internal energy only c.)doing work only

Answer 1

ANSWER

b. adding to the internal energy only

EXPLANATION

The 1st Law of Thermodynamics states that the total change in the internal energy of a system, ΔU, is equal to the sum of the net heat transfer into the system, Q, and the net work done on the system, W,

$\Delta U=Q+W$

As we can see in this equation, we can increase the internal energy of a system by adding heat to the system or doing work to the system.

So, if heat is added to a system it will increase the internal energy of the system.

Hence, the heat goes into adding to the internal energy only.