Temperature, Kinetic Theory, and the Gas Laws
96 Kinetic Theory: Atomic and Molecular Explanation of Pressure and Temperature
Learning Objectives
- Express the ideal gas law in terms of molecular mass and velocity.
- Define thermal energy.
- Calculate the kinetic energy of a gas molecule, given its temperature.
- Describe the relationship between the temperature of a gas and the kinetic energy of atoms and molecules.
- Describe the distribution of speeds of molecules in a gas.
We have developed macroscopic definitions of pressure and temperature. Pressure is the force divided by the area on which the force is exerted, and temperature is measured with a thermometer. We gain a better understanding of pressure and temperature from the kinetic theory of gases, which assumes that atoms and molecules are in continuous random motion.
Figure 96.1 shows an elastic collision of a gas molecule with the wall of a container, so that it exerts a force on the wall (by Newton’s third law). Because a huge number of molecules will collide with the wall in a short time, we observe an average force per unit area. These collisions are the source of pressure in a gas. As the number of molecules increases, the number of collisions and thus the pressure increase. Similarly, the gas pressure is higher if the average velocity of molecules is higher. The actual relationship is derived in the Things Great and Small feature below. The following relationship is found:
where [latex]P[/latex] is the pressure (average force per unit area), [latex]V[/latex] is the volume of gas in the container, [latex]N[/latex] is the number of molecules in the container, [latex]m[/latex] is the mass of a molecule, and [latex]\overline{{v}^{2}}[/latex] is the average of the molecular speed squared.
What can we learn from this atomic and molecular version of the ideal gas law? We can derive a relationship between temperature and the average translational kinetic energy of molecules in a gas. Recall the previous expression of the ideal gas law:
Equating the right-hand side of this equation with the right-hand side of [latex]\text{PV}=\frac{1}{3}\text{Nm}\overline{{v}^{2}}[/latex] gives
Making Connections: Things Great and Small—Atomic and Molecular Origin of Pressure in a Gas
Figure 96.2 shows a box filled with a gas. We know from our previous discussions that putting more gas into the box produces greater pressure, and that increasing the temperature of the gas also produces a greater pressure. But why should increasing the temperature of the gas increase the pressure in the box? A look at the atomic and molecular scale gives us some answers, and an alternative expression for the ideal gas law.
The figure shows an expanded view of an elastic collision of a gas molecule with the wall of a container. Calculating the average force exerted by such molecules will lead us to the ideal gas law, and to the connection between temperature and molecular kinetic energy. We assume that a molecule is small com