Imagine a system composed of two different types of molecules, one relatively light and one relatively heavy. At a particular temperature, which molecule has a higher average velocity.  A. Heavier molecule  b. Lighter molecule

Chemistry by OpenStax (2015-05-04)
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Author:Klaus Theopold, Richard H Langley, Paul Flowers, William R. Robinson, Mark Blaser
Publisher:Klaus Theopold, Richard H Langley, Paul Flowers, William R. Robinson, Mark Blaser
Chapter9: Gases
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Problem 92E: Describe what happens o the average kinetic energy of ideal gas molecules when the conditions are...
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Imagine a system composed of two different types of molecules, one relatively light and one relatively heavy. At a particular temperature, which molecule has a higher average velocity. 

A. Heavier molecule 

b. Lighter molecule 

c. Both have the same average velocity 

 

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In thermodynamics, the velocity of a molecule is related to its kinetic energy, which is determined by its temperature and mass. According to the Maxwell-Boltzmann distribution, the average velocity of a molecule is proportional to the square root of its absolute temperature and inversely proportional to the square root of its mass. Therefore, the velocity of a lighter molecule will be higher compared to a heavier molecule at the same temperature

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