Question

What does the kinetic theory mean?

Answer 1

1. The kinetic theory was developed by James Clerk Maxwell and Ludwig Boltzmann
2. It describes gases as large numbers of tiny identical submicroscopic particles (atoms or molecules) in constant, rapid, random motion.
3. In constant motion, molecules obey Newton's laws of motion as material bodies. The molecules move in straight lines until they collide with each other or with the walls of the container.
4. Molecular collisions are perfectly elastic; when atoms collide, they change their directions and kinetic energies, but their overall kinetic energy remains the same.
5. The model describes an ideal gas with no attractive forces and no other interactions between the particles.
6. The kinetic theory of gases describes gas properties such as volume, pressure, and temperature as well as transport properties like viscosity, thermal conductivity, and mass diffusivity.
7. Gases are composed of molecules separated by average distances that are much greater than their sizes. Molecules of the gas occupy a very small fraction of the volume of the gas itself.
8. It also described the molecular interpretation of pressure and temperature of a gas which is consistent with gas laws and Avogadro's hypothesis.
9. The total kinetic energy is conserved means all the collisions between molecules or with the walls are elastic.
10. Gas molecules have average kinetic energy that is directly proportional to their absolute temperature. Molecular velocities and kinetic energies vary widely, and some molecules may even have zero velocity at a given moment. Therefore, zero temperatures would cease all molecular motion.