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Kinetic theory of gases

Balls on a vibrating plate

Derivation of the Maxwell-Boltzmann distribution function

The Maxwell-Boltzmann distribution function of the molecular speed of ideal gases can be derived from the barometric formula. Introduction For ideal gases, the distribution function f(v) of the speeds has already been explained...
Pressure distribution during compression of a gas

Equipartition theorem

The equipartition theorem states that the kinetic energy of the gas molecules is equally divided along all three spatial directions! Equipartition theorem In the article Pressure and temperature the following equation was derived...
Design of a velocity selector to determine the speed distribution in gases

Determination of the speed distribution in a gas

Learn more about experimentally determining the velocity distribution of molecules in gases in this article. Introduction As already explained in the article Temperature and particle motion, the temperature of a gas is a...
Microscopic interpretation of the gas pressure

Pressure and temperature (kinetic theory of gases)

In this article, learn more about the relationship between pressure and temperature in connection with the kinetic theory of gases. Introduction In order to connect the macroscopically observed state variables of a gas...
Speed distribution of an ideal gas for different temperatures

Maxwell–Boltzmann distribution

The Maxwell-Boltzmann distribution describes the distribution of the molecular speed of the molecules in ideal gases. Introduction As already explained in the article Temperature and particle motion, the temperature of a gas is...
Schematic illustration of an evaporation process

Why do liquids evaporate?

In this article, learn how the evaporation of liquids can be qualitatively explained using the Maxwell-Boltzmann distribution. Maxwell-Boltzmann distribution of ideal gases The figure below shows the speed distribution according to Maxwell-Boltzmann for...