Is Work Done on or by the System?

Highlights of the activity

1. Students are given a list of physical situations and asked to determine if work is being done on the system or by the system.
2. Students must also resolve in each situation what is defined as the system and what is defined as the surroundings.

Reasons to spend class time on the activity

In thermodynamic processes, students can find it challenging to determine what is defined as the system and what are the surroundings. Also, since the sign of the work term can change depending on the physical situation, it can be difficult to determine if the system is doing work or not. This activity allows students to practice determining these aspects of a physical system, and also gives teachers an exercise to conclude with tips on analyzing the work done in a physical scenario.

Reflections

• Reflections from the original implementation.

• Reflections from "official" adapters/adopters.

• Reflections from the general public.

Instructor's Guide

• Wiki version

Student Handouts

eeworkexampleshand.pdf

eeworkexampleshand.tex