I5-13: ADIABATIC EXPANSION OF AIR - GRAPH OF TEMP

ID Code: I5-13
Purpose: Demonstrate adiabatic expansion of air by plotting the temperature.
Description: A tightly corked bottle containing air with a small amount of water is pressurized using a bicycle tire pump. When the cork pops the air expands adiabatically, cooling sufficiently to form fog in the bottle. The computer plots a graph of the air temperature in the jar using a thermistor probe, as seen in detail below. As air is pumped into the jar the temperature slowly rises; when the cork blows the temperature suddenly falls to below its initial level. The graph can be displayed on video projectors in the lecture hall.
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