Question #d6640
1 Answer
A process where no energy (in form of heat or work) is exchanged with the environment.
Explanation:
Consider a gas in an enclosed and isolated structure; it will not be able to exchange, say, heat with the surrounding atmosphere and also it will not be able to expand and do work on the exterior.
Now, it seems that not a lot is going on inside a closed enclosure so that it doesn't seem a process at all but an adiabatic process (in which you do not have exchange of energy) can occur also when a normal process is performed very rapidly so that although energy could escape it is so fast that there is no material time for this to happen!
Now you have a process and one that is adiabatic!
A classic example is pumping air into the tires of your bike using a handheld pump. If you operate very fast you'll have the conditions for an adiabatic process; apparently you should have air going in the tire but if you are very fast in pumping the air will not be able to immediately enter it and will be compressed!
Again if you are fast the air will be compressed rapidly and not be able to exchange heat with the surrounding; if you put your hand at the extremity of the pump you'll feel that is hot! That is energy that is not able to escape (ok with time it will escape but for the moment will be trapped in the fastness of the process!).
Hope I didn't confuse you!
