Comment on 'A close examination of the motion of an adiabatic piston' by Eric A. Gislason [Am. J. Phys. 78, 995-1001 (2010)]

Abstract

A recent paper by Gislason published in Am. J. Phys. deals with the celebrated example of the so-called "adiabatic piston", a system involving two ideal gases contained in a horizontal cylinder and separated by an insulating piston that moves without friction. While the analysis presented in that paper is rather comprehensive, very interesting and useful as a teaching tool, it can be somewhat misleading if not taken within its appropriate context. As a matter of fact, the evolution to equilibrium involves two phases, a faster one leading to the equalization of pressures, and a slower one bringing the system to identical temperatures. Although Gislason addresses only the first process, we note that the final state after the second phase, the evolution to equal temperatures once the pressures are the same, is described by thermodynamics. Therefore, the discussion of the adiabatic piston given by Gislason can and should be enriched, in order to promote a proper and general view of thermodynamics.