Final answer:
In this experiment, when the gas reaches a certain state, the piston is held in place by an applied force. The magnitude of this force can be determined using the pressure-volume relationship.
Step-by-step explanation:
In this experiment, when the gas reaches state S, the piston is held in place by an applied force. The magnitude of this force can be determined using the pressure-volume relationship.
From the graph, we can see that at state S, the pressure of the gas is P.
Since the piston is held in place, the applied force is equal to the pressure of the gas multiplied by the cross-sectional area of the piston.