Which assumption is made by the kinetic molecular theory of an ideal gas?
- A. Gas molecules attract one another strongly
- B. The volume of the molecules themselves is negligible compared with the volume of the container
- C. Collisions between molecules lose energy as heat
- D. The molecules all move at the same speed
Explanation
The ideal model treats molecules as point masses with negligible volume and no intermolecular forces, colliding perfectly elastically so no kinetic energy is lost. Molecular speeds are not uniform but spread over the Maxwell-Boltzmann distribution, with only the average kinetic energy fixed by temperature. Real gases deviate exactly where these assumptions fail.
Related questions
The average kinetic energy of the molecules of an ideal gas depends only on
The pressure exerted by a gas on the walls of its container is caused by
According to Graham's law, the rate of diffusion of a gas is
At constant volume, the pressure of a fixed mass of gas is directly proportional to its absolute temperature. This is
The average kinetic energy of the molecules of any ideal gas depends only on