The internal energy of a system increases by 36 joules. The system does work using 17 joules. What amount of heat was added to this system?

1 answer

According to the first law of thermodynamics, the change in internal energy of a system is equal to the heat added to the system minus the work done by the system. So, we can write the equation:

Change in internal energy = Heat added - Work done

Given that the change in internal energy is 36 joules and the work done is 17 joules, we can substitute these values into the equation:

36 joules = Heat added - 17 joules

Now, we can solve for the heat added:

Heat added = 36 joules + 17 joules
= 53 joules

Therefore, 53 joules of heat was added to the system.