Two containers hold an ideal gas at the same temperature and pressure. Both containers hold the same type of gas, but container B has twice the volume of container A.
What is the average translational kinetic energy per molecule in container B?
Elimination Tool
The following formula provides the average translational kinetic energy per molecule in an ideal gas, which is solely dependent on temperature:
KE_avg = (3/2)kT
where T is the temperature in Kelvin, KE_avg is the average kinetic energy, and k is the Boltzmann constant.
The value of T is the same for both containers in this instance because they contain the same kind of gas at the same temperature.
The number of molecules in container B is twice that of container A because it has twice the volume of container A (assuming the amount of gas is the same). As a result, container B’s molecules have twice as much total kinetic energy as container A.
The following formula provides the average translational kinetic energy per molecule in an ideal gas, which is solely dependent on temperature:
KE_avg = (3/2)kT
where T is the temperature in Kelvin, KE_avg is the average kinetic energy, and k is the Boltzmann constant.
The value of T is the same for both containers in this instance because they contain the same kind of gas at the same temperature.
The number of molecules in container B is twice that of container A because it has twice the volume of container A (assuming the amount of gas is the same). As a result, container B’s molecules have twice as much total kinetic energy as container A.