Kinetic theory of Gases

Kinetic Theory of Gases

The Temperature of a gas is a measure of the Average Kinetic Energy of the molecules that make up the gas.

This relation is only valid for a monatomic molecule like Helium.

For each mode (degree of freedom) in which a molecule can store energy, the average internal energy per mode is 1/2 kT

Monatomic Molecule	Rigid Diatomic Molecule	Vibrating Diatomic Molecule

v_av	= Normal average or mean speed. Half the molecules have speed greater than v_av and half are slower.
v_rms	= The square root of the average of the square of the velocity of the molecules in the gas.
v_p	= The speed at which the largest number of molecules move.

Average Kinetic Energy of a Gas Molecule:

Most Probable Kinetic Energy of a Gas Molecule: