Re: [Phys-l] Force on an accelerating piston

["Dan Crowe" <dcrowe@Loudoun.K12.VA.US>]

I know that the case of a massless piston is unphysical.  It was this
unphysical case that started me thinking about the effect of
acceleration of the piston away from the gas on the force that the gas
exerts on the piston.  I'm really looking for the answer to the
following question: If a rigid piston has mass, would the force on it
during its acceleration away from the gas be less than if the piston was
at rest?

Daniel Crowe
Loudoun Academy of Science
dcrowe@loudoun.k12.va.us
> > > jsd@av8n.com 12/31/06 1:04 AM >>>
On 12/30/2006 10:26 PM, Dan Crowe wrote:

> massless piston.  The piston is supported by a linear (Hookean)
spring. 

The question is unphysical.