Physics · Laws of Motion · Kinetic Theory of Gases · Thermodynamics
Problem
The left and right compartments of a thermally isolated container of length L are separated by a thermally conducting, movable piston of area A. The left and right compartments are filled with 3/2 and 1 moles of an ideal gas, respectively. In the left compartment the piston is attached by a spring with spring constant k and natural length 2L/5. In thermodynamic equilibrium, the piston is at a distance L/2 from the left and right edges of the container as shown in the figure. Under the above conditions, if the pressure in the right compartment is P = (kL/A)α, then the value of α is ___.