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JEE Advanced 2020 Paper 1 · Physics · Thermodynamics and Kinetic Theory of Gases · hard

One mole of a monatomic ideal gas undergoes the cycle A→ B→ C→ A in the P–V plane: A(V0,P0)→ B(V0,2P0) at constant volume, B→ C(2V0,2P0) at constant…

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One mole of a monatomic ideal gas undergoes the cycle A→B→C→AA\to B\to C\to A in the PP–VV plane: A(V0,P0)→B(V0,2P0)A(V_0,P_0)\to B(V_0,2P_0) at constant volume, B→C(2V0,2P0)B\to C(2V_0,2P_0) at constant pressure, and C→AC\to A along a straight line. The efficiency of the cycle, defined as net work divided by the total heat absorbed, is
  1. A. 113\dfrac{1}{13}
  2. B. 213\dfrac{2}{13}
  3. C. 19\dfrac{1}{9}
  4. D. 111\dfrac{1}{11}
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Answer: (A) 113\dfrac{1}{13}

Net work is the area of triangle ABCABC: 12V0P0\frac12 V_0 P_0. Heat in ABAB (isochoric): ΔU=32Δ(PV)=32P0V0\Delta U=\frac32\Delta(PV)=\frac32P_0V_0. Heat in BCBC (isobaric): Q=52Δ(PV)=52(4P0V0−2P0V0)=5P0V0Q=\frac52\Delta(PV)=\frac52(4P_0V_0-2P_0V_0)=5P_0V_0. On CACA the line is P=(P0/V0)VP=(P_0/V_0)V, so T∝V2T\propto V^2 and dQ=dU+P dV=3aV dV+aV dV=4aV dVdQ=dU+P\,dV=3aV\,dV+aV\,dV=4aV\,dV with a=P0/V0a=P_0/V_0. The gas is compressed along CACA, so dQ<0dQ<0 throughout: heat is rejected there and does not count as input. Total heat absorbed is 32+5=132P0V0\frac32+5=\frac{13}{2}P_0V_0, hence η=1/213/2=113\eta=\frac{1/2}{13/2}=\frac1{13}. Including CACA wrongly or using the wrong CpC_p gives the other values. Always check the sign of dQdQ along a curved or inclined process before adding heats, because only the heat absorbed counts in the denominator of the efficiency of a cycle, and the cycle's net work equals the net heat exchanged.
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