Formula Used:
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Molar Specific Heat Capacity at Constant Volume (Cv) is the amount of heat required to raise the temperature of 1 mole of a substance by 1 degree Celsius at constant volume. It is a fundamental thermodynamic property that characterizes how a substance responds to heat input when its volume is fixed.
The calculator uses the thermodynamic relation:
Where:
Explanation: This formula relates the molar heat capacity at constant volume to measurable thermodynamic properties through fundamental thermodynamic relationships.
Details: Accurate calculation of Cv is crucial for understanding thermal properties of materials, designing thermal systems, predicting phase transitions, and studying thermodynamic processes at constant volume.
Tips: Enter all values in appropriate units. Ensure that isothermal compressibility is greater than isentropic compressibility (KT > KS) to avoid division by zero. All input values must be positive.
Q1: What is the difference between Cv and Cp?
A: Cv is heat capacity at constant volume, while Cp is at constant pressure. For ideal gases, Cp = Cv + R.
Q2: Why is Cv important in thermodynamics?
A: Cv helps determine internal energy changes and is essential for analyzing constant-volume processes in thermodynamic systems.
Q3: What are typical values of Cv for common substances?
A: For monatomic ideal gases, Cv = 3/2R ≈ 12.47 J/K·mol. For diatomic gases, Cv = 5/2R ≈ 20.79 J/K·mol at room temperature.
Q4: How does temperature affect Cv?
A: For ideal gases, Cv is constant. For real substances, Cv generally increases with temperature due to additional vibrational modes becoming active.
Q5: When is this formula particularly useful?
A: This formula is especially valuable when direct measurement of Cv is difficult, but other thermodynamic properties (α, KT, KS, ρ) can be measured more easily.