Answer:
d. Work is done on the gas
Explanation:
We are considering an isobaric compression, which means:
- Isobaric: the pressure of the gas is constant
- Compression: the volume of the gas is decreasing
For an isobaric compression, the volume done BY the gas is
[tex]W=p \Delta V= p (V_f -V_i)[/tex]
where
p is the gas pressure
[tex]V_f[/tex] is the final volume of the gas
[tex]V_i[/tex] is the initial volume of the gas
If the sign of W is positive, it means that the gas is doing work on the surrounding; if the sign of W is negative, it means that the surrounding is doing worn ON the gas.
In this case, since it is a compression, we have that the final volume is smaller than the initial volume:
[tex]V_f < V_i[/tex]
Therefore, the sign of W is negative, and therefore work is done ON the gas by the surroundings.
