Setup: I have an experiment testing a heat enging; with a gasfilled cylinder containing a piston with a scale on top of it, andthe cylinder is also connected to an aluminum can. The experimentis performed in four parts: 1) adding a weight onto the scale onthe cylinder (aluminum can in ice-water) - adiabatic process:pressure goes up but volume stays the same, 2) removing thealuminum can into bioling water - isobaric process: volumeincreases but pressure is same, 3) removing the weight from thescale - again adiabatic process: volume decreases, 4) taking thecan out of the boiling water and slowly submerging it into icewateragain - isobaric process.
What is a possible systematic error if the piston at the beginningof the experiment is placed high up in the gas cylinder (but stillhas room to move freely) instead of close to the bottom as in ourexperiment?
Setup: I have an experiment testing a heat enging; with a gasfilled cylinder containing a piston with a scale on top of it, andthe cylinder is also connected to an aluminum can. The experimentis performed in four parts: 1) adding a weight onto the scale onthe cylinder (aluminum can in ice-water) - adiabatic process:pressure goes up but volume stays the same, 2) removing thealuminum can into bioling water - isobaric process: volumeincreases but pressure is same, 3) removing the weight from thescale - again adiabatic process: volume decreases, 4) taking thecan out of the boiling water and slowly submerging it into icewateragain - isobaric process.
What is a possible systematic error if the piston at the beginningof the experiment is placed high up in the gas cylinder (but stillhas room to move freely) instead of close to the bottom as in ourexperiment?
