A Formal Physics Laboratory Report

EXPERIMENT
REPORT LAB 10:
DETERMINING THE C p /C v RATIO OF GAS

Class: CC19 / Group: 1 Lecturer’s comment

Full name:
1. Tăng Gia Bảo – 2152429
2. Lê Dương Khánh Huy – 2153380
3. Nguyễn Lê Anh Tuấn – 2153079

I. Aims/Purposes:
Investigating the processes of changing the thermodynamic equilibrium of the air
Cp
contained in a vase; determining the ratio of molecular heat capacity γ= ratio of gas.
Cv
II. Apparatus, Methods, and Procedure:
1.Apparatus
- Large glass bottle.
- U-shape water manometer with millimeter-scale.
- Technical Brass Gas Ball Valve K1, K2.
- Rubber ball pump.
- Support stand.
2.Methods

We first use direct measurement (a U-shape water manometer with millimeter-scale in

the range of 250 ÷ 300 mmH 2O and a Technical Brass Gas Ball Valve K 1, K2) to
determine the volume L1, L2 as well as L’1, L’2 (on the millimeter ruler of the manometer
holder M) which are required to record the preselected value H, h. Then, we apply the
indirect measurement such as equations and formulas to calculate the measured ratio and
its error Δγ .

3.Procedure
We close the valve K2 and open valve K1 and then, pump air into flask A. We keep the air
flow stable and just turn valve K1 to close flask A until the difference in the water column
in the two branches of the manometer M reaches about 250 ÷ 300 mmH2O.

After reaching equilibrium state, we measure many times with the same initial pressure
p1. Next, we slowly open valve K2 to reduce the amount of air in flask A so that the
difference M reaches the value H = L1 + L2. Read L1 and L2 to calculate H and record into
table 1.

We need to open valve K 2 quickly to let the air in flask A escape until the air pressure in
flask A equals the atmospheric pressure H0 outside, we close valve K2.

Then, when the water head difference in the two manometer branches M reaches a stable
value h = L’1 + L’2, we take note of the value of h.

III. Equations:

We have to calculate the ratio, the theoretical and the relative deviation by utilizing some
following formulas:

· The measured value and the theoretical value of the ratio of air:

H
γ=
H−h
i+2
γ theory =
i

· The relative deviations:

γ theory −γ measured
δ=
γ theory

· The results:
γ=γ ± Δγ
IV. Experimental data:
Table 1
 Accuracy of millimeter ruler on the water column manometer M: 1 (mm)
H
H (mmH2O) h (mmH2O) γ= ∆γ
H−h
1 255 74 1.409 0.0067
2 255 73 1.401 0.0013
3 256 74 1.407 0.0047
4 250 71 1.397 0.0053
5 252 73 1.408 0.0057
6 268 78 1.411 0.0087
7 280 82 1.414 0.0117
8 273 79 1.365 0.0373
9 296 86 1.410 0.0077
10 272 78 1.402 0.0003
11 251 72 1.402 0.0003
Average 1.4023 ● 0.00815
diamotic molecule (O2, N2…): i=5, polyatomic molecule (H20, CO2…): i=6
H1 255 H6 268
γ 1= = =1.409 γ 6= = =1.411
H 1−h1 255−74 H 6−h6 268−78
H2 255 H7 280
γ 2= = =1.401 γ 7= = =1.414
H 2−h 2 255−73 H 7−h7 280−82
H3 256 H8 273
γ 3= = =1.407 γ 8= = =1.365
H 3−h 3 256−74 H 8−h8 273−79
H4 250 H9 296
γ4 = = =1.397 γ 9= = =1.410
H 4−h 4 250−71 H 9−h9 296−86
H5 252 H 10 272
γ 5= = =1.408 γ 10= = =1.402
H 5−h 5 252−73 H 10−h10 272−78

H 11 251 ∆ γ 6 =γ −γ 6 =1.4023−1.411=0.0087
γ 11 = = =1.402
H 11−h11 251−72 ∆ γ 7 =γ −γ 7 =1.4023−1.414=0.0117
∆ γ 1=γ −γ 1=1.4023−1.409=0.0067 ∆ γ 8 =γ −γ 8 =1.4023−1.365=0.0373
∆ γ 2=γ −γ 2=1.4023−1.401=0.0013 ∆ γ 9 =γ −γ 9 =1.4023−1.410=0.0077
∆ γ 3 =γ −γ 3=1.4023−1.407=0.0047 ∆ γ 10=γ −γ 10=1.4023−1.402=0.0003
∆ γ 4=γ−γ 4=1.4023−1.397=0.0053
∆ γ 5 =γ −γ 5=1.4023−1.408=0.0057
 ∆ γ 11 =γ −γ 11=1.4023−1.402=0.0003
11

∑ ∆ γ i= 0.0067+0.0013+0.0047+ 0.0053+0.0057+0.0087+
11
0.0117+0.0373+0.0077+ 0.0003+0.0003
=0.0
∆ γ = i=1
❑
V. Calculation work:
a) Calculating the average value:

11

∑ γi= 1.409+1.401+1.407+1.397+1.408+1.411+1.414
11
+1.365+1.410+1.402+1.402
=1.4023
i=1
γ=
❑
b) Calculating the average absolute error:

11

∑ ∆ γ i= 0.0067+0.0013+0.0047+ 0.0053+0.0057+0.0087+
11
0.0117+0.0373+0.0077+ 0.0003+0.0003
=0.0
∆ γ = i=1
❑
c) Calculating the systematic error:
∆ γ sys H mid . ∆ h mid + ∆ H mid .h mid
=
● γ mid 268 ×1+78 ×1
H mid . (H mid −h ¿ ¿ mid )= =0.0068=α ¿
268(268−78)
⟹ ∆ γ sys =α . γ mid =0.0068 ×1.411=0.0095
d) Calculating the absolute error:
∆ γ =∆ γ sys + ∆ γ =0.0095+0.00815=0.01765
e) Results:
γ=γ ± ∆ γ=1.4023 ± 0.01765
f) Calculating the theoretical value of the γ ratio of air according to the formula:
i+2 6 +2 4
γ theory = = =
i 6 3
g) Comparing the measured value γ measured measured with the theoretical value γ theory
by calculating the relative deviations:

δ=
|γ theory−γ measured | 3
=
| 4
−1.4023|
=0.0517
γ theory 4
3
VI. Question:
1. Define and write the expressions for specific heat and molecular heat capacity.
Does the heat capacity of a gas depend on the conditions of the heating process?
The state of a gas mass is characterized by the quantities : pressure p, volume V,
 temperature T. For 1 mole of gas, these quantities are related by the equation of state :
pV = R.T
R = 8.31 J/mol.K is the gas constant.
When heat is transferred δQ to a gas mass of mass m, the mass of gas will heat up and
its temperature will increase by 1 dT. By definition, the specific heat capacity c of a gas
is a measure of the amount of heat that needs to be transferred to 1 kilogram of the gas to
increase its temperature by 1 degree. Therefore :
                c = δQ/mdT
If it is the mass of 1 mole of gas, then the molecular heat capacity of the gas will
be:
                C = μc = δQ/dT
The heat capacity of a gas depends on the heating process

2. Distinguish between isothermal molecular heat capacity 𝐶v and isobaric

molecular heat capacity 𝐶p. Find a relation between them to show that 𝐶p > 𝐶v.
Cv  is the heat capacity during the transformation where the volume of the
system remains constant and is calculated:       
δQv/dT
Cp is the heat capacity calculated during the transformation where the pressure
of the system remains constant and is calculated:
δQp/dT
Cv = dU/dT 

pdV = RdT   

Cp = C v + R

=> Cp/Cv > 1

3. In fact, under what circumstances can gas compression or expansion processes

be approximated as isothermal or adiabatic? After compressing or expanding the
gas contained in vase A, why does it take a certain amount of time (about 45
minutes) for the water column difference on the two branches of the manometer
M to reach a stable value?
When the process of compressing or expanding gas happens very quickly, it
cannot be exchanged with the outside (Q = 0) so it can be considered as an approximate
process of compression or adiabatic expansion. When the process of compression or
expansion of a gas takes place for a long time (enough for thermal equilibrium), it is
considered isothermal compression or expansion (because the ambient temperature is
assumed to be constant and the gas will equilibrate with the temperature of the gas).
environment).
Wait a period of 4-5 minutes for the temperature of the gas in flask A to
equilibrate to room temperature. Then the difference in the water column in the two
 branches of the manometer M reaches a stable value.
4. Why in this experiment we must use a water column manometer and not a
mercury manometer to measure the gas pressure in glass flask A?
In this experiment, we have to use a water column manometer, not a mercury
manometer to measure the pressure.
gas in flask A because:
We have experimental conditions: h and H << H0. We have H0 of Hg = 760 mm,
H0 of water is 10.3m. This demonstrates that measuring pressure with water is more
sensitive than mercury. Therefore, if we use mercury when we measuring the values of h,
H, it will be difficult to observe the change and measure H, h.
5. To ensure accurate measurement results, why close valve K2 as soon as the water
column in the two manometer branches M has just reached the same level?
Because when the 2 water column in the 2 manometer branches M has reached the
same level then it is easy to calculate the pressure and evaporation of 2 manometer
branches
6. Prove the formula for calculating the relative error of the ratio of the molecular
heat capacity of a gas

7. Calculate the theoretical value of the ratio of the molecular heat capacity of dry
air molecules (assume only oxygen molecules O2 and nitrogen N2) to the number
of degrees of freedom i of the gas molecules.

8. If the air in the flask has high humidity, contains a lot of water vapor, how will
the theoretical value of the ratio of the molecular heat capacity of the air change
(increase or decrease compared to dry air)? Why?
The specific heats of real gases (as differentiated from ideal gases) are not constant
with temperature. As temperature increases, higher energy rotational and vibrational
states become accessible to molecular gases, thus increasing the number of degrees of
freedom.