20 Physics -- Ideal Gas

In equations for ideal gas and thermodynamics , what is the difference between 'R' and 'r' . 

In equations for ideal gas and thermodynamics , what is the difference between 'R' and 'r' . 

Value of R is a constant for all gases while value of r is a variable for all gases but a constant for a specific gas.

Explanation:

Starting with the Ideal gas equation, PV = nRT.

R in the above equation stands for Universal Gas Constant whose value is a constant 8.314 J/mol-K for all gases.

However, when we put n = M/m where M represents total mass of gas present and m the molar mass of the gas.

The value of R/m = r or r = R/m is defined as the specific gas constant for a gas. Clearly, r is a constant for a particular gas only because value of m is different for different gases.

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