One mole of an ideal gas is contained in a cylinder with a movable piston. The temperature is constant at 77oC. Weights are removed suddenly from the piston to give the following sequence of three pressures:
a. P1 = 5.00 atm (initial state)
b. P2 = 2.24 atm
P3 = 1.00 atm (final state)
What is the total work (in joules) in going from the initial to the final state by way of the preceding two steps? What would be the total work if the process were carried out reversibly?