Spasmodic

Spasmodic Spasmodic Spasmodic By Maeve Maddox The adjective spasmodic means of the nature of a spasm; characterized by spasms or convulsive twitches; marked by jerkiness or suddenness of muscular movement.   In medical terms, a spasm is a sudden and violent muscular contraction of a convulsive or painful character. Both words are used figuratively. For example, inconsistent or occasional efforts at political reform are said to be spasmodic in the sense of: Occurring or proceeding by fits and starts; irregular, intermittent; not sustained or kept up. A speaking style, such as that of Milla Jovavich in The Messenger, is spasmodic in the sense of Agitated, excited; emotional, high-strung; given to outbursts of excitement; characterized by a disjointed or unequal style of expression. Here are some examples of the use of spasmodic on the web: To a roomful of adoring gays, a spasmodic Pelosi said, Dont ask dont tell†¦will be a memory come Christmas. Spasmodic reform and a little effort before elections will not accomplish much. †¦the electoral parties, always embarked in the rhythmic and spasmodic succession of seductive promises†¦ Violence still occurs, but it is spasmodic and much reduced. †¦there is the most horrendous spasmodic knocking noise coming from inside the [1.2 nova] engine]. Sometimes its possible to reach for the word spasmodic and not quite make it, as in this complaint from another unhappy car owner whose Mini-Cooper engine had been knocking for weeks before the incident described: †¦[the man at the dealership] said that I could have the vehicle towed in at my expense (his estimate was $600 for the towing). I declined due to the cost and the spermatic knocking. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Vocabulary category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:50 Rhetorical Devices for Rational WritingTaser or Tazer? Tazing or Tasering?25 Idioms About Bread and Dessert

Ideal Gas Law Example Problem

Ideal Gas Law Example Problem The ideal gas law is  an equation of state the describes the behavior of an ideal gas and also a real gas under conditions of ordinary temperature and low pressure. This is one of the most useful gas laws to know because it can be used to find pressure, volume, number of moles, or temperature of a gas. The formula for the ideal gas law is: PV nRT P pressureV volumen number of moles of gasR   ideal or universal  gas constant   0.08 L atm / mol KT   absolute temperature  in Kelvin Sometimes, you may use another version of the ideal gas law: PV NkT where: N number of moleculesk   Boltzmann constant 1.38066 x 10-23  J/K 8.617385 x 10-5  eV/K Ideal Gas Law Example One of the easiest applications of the ideal gas law is to find the unknown value, given all the others. 6.2 liters of an ideal gas is contained at 3.0 atm and 37  °C. How many moles of this gas are present? Solution The ideal gas law states PV nRT Because the units of the gas constant are given using atmospheres, moles, and Kelvin, its important to make sure you convert values given in other temperature or pressure scales. For this problem, convert  °C temperature to K using the equation: T  °C 273 T 37  °C 273T 310 K Now, you can plug in the values. Solve ideal gas law for the number of moles n PV / RT n ( 3.0 atm x 6.2 L ) / ( 0.08 L atm /mol K x 310 K)n 0.75 mol Answer There are 0.75 mol of the ideal gas present in the system.