question_answer

Of what physical significance is the difference between the two principal specific heat capacities and their ratio?                 

Answer:

                (i) The difference between the two principal specific heats is equal to the amount of heat equivalent to the work performed by the gas during expansion at constant pressure. (ii) Knowing the specific heat ratio of a gas, we can determine the number of degrees of freedom and the atomicity of any gas. \[\gamma =\frac{{{C}_{P}}}{{{C}_{V}}}=1+\frac{2}{f}.\]