• id: JTHERM-01-N14
• title: Polytropic Process PV^n = Constant
• tags: polytropic, general-process, molar-heat

A polytropic process follows $PV^n = C$ where n is the polytropic index. Special cases: n = 0 (isobaric), n = 1 (isothermal), n = $\gamma$ (adiabatic), n = $\infty$ (isochoric). The molar specific heat for this process: $C = C_v(\gamma - n)/(1 - n)$. Work: $W = nR(T_1 - T_2)/(n-1)$ (same form as adiabatic with $\gamma$ replaced by n). This generalizes all standard processes into a single framework.