One mole of an ideal gas is contained in a cylinder with a movable piston. The temperature is constant at 74°C. Weights are removed suddenly from the piston to give the following sequence of three pressures.
a. P1 = 5.10 atm (initial state)
b. P2 = 2.53 atm
c. 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?