A process is described as one in which both the system and its surroundings can be brought back to exactly the states they started in, simply by running the process backward. What does the source call this kind of process?
AA reversible process
BAn isochoric process
CA spontaneous process
DAn unstable process
Answer & Solution
Correct answer: A. A reversible process
1. The defining feature described here is that running the process in reverse restores both the system and its surroundings to their original states.
2. The source names exactly this behavior a reversible process.
3. Isochoric only describes a process at constant volume and says nothing about reversing the surroundings, ruling out option B.
4. Spontaneous and unstable describe processes that proceed on their own in one direction, which is closer to the opposite idea of irreversibility, ruling out options C and D.
_Source: OpenStax College Physics (CC BY 4.0), Ch 15 "Thermodynamics", section 15.2 The First Law of Thermodynamics and Some Simple Processes_
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