Kinetic Theory of

Gases
 Overview
• Assume atomic picture of gases
– Simpler than solids/liquids, as interactions
can be neglected
• Predict behavior
– E.g., relations between P and V, P and T…
• Test in lab experiments
 Basic Picture
• Gas consists of noninteracting particles
• They move around randomly
• Temperature corresponds to (average)
speed of particles
– Hotter ↔ faster
• Pressure a manifestation of collisions
with container walls
 Basic Processes
• Thermal expansion
• Evaporation
– A cooling process
• Dissolving solids in liquids
• Reaction rates
• …
 More on Temperature
• Prediction of kinetic theory:
1 2 3
mv = k BT
2 2
v is the average speed
T is the temperature (in Kelvins)
m is the mass of a gas particle
kB is Boltzmann’s constant
• Note that
T ∝v 2
 More on Pressure
Weight W

• Canonical example: container

wih movable piston
• P is the average force per unit
area due to collisions with
walls
– Average because it fluctuates
• Weight on piston balances
this force, in equilibrium
– W tells us P of gas
 Now change something…
• E.g. add weight to the piston (T = const)
• Forces out of equilibrium; piston drops
• Collision rate increases until forces again
balance
• P has increased, V decreased
• In fact,
P ∝1 V (Boyle)
 Computer Simulation
• Allows changing N, W, v
• Replaces tedious mathematical
analysis
• Explore all relations encoded in the
Ideal Gas Law: PV = NkBT
• Most of these relations are qualitatively
obvious, some even quantitatively so!
 Another Example
• Increase T keeping P fixed
– Note: doubling T means increasing v by 2
• Faster particles means harder collisions and
more rapid
• Piston rises, reducing collision rate
• Equilibrium is restored
• Model gives
V ∝T (constant P)
 Another Example
• Increase N with P and T held fixed
• More particles means more collisions, piston
rises
• Reduced collision rate restores equilibrium
• In detail:
V∝N (constant T, P)
 A slightly more
complicated one…
• Increase T with V and N held constant
• Do it in two steps:
– Increase T with P unchanged
– Increase W to return V to its original value
• Result:
P ∝T (constant V, N)
 Verifying the Predictions
• These relations are simple predictions
of atomic/kinetic theory
• If they are found to hold in experiments,
we gain confidence that the atomic
picture is correct!
• Several of them are easily checked in
lab exercises
 Sample Exercises
• Calculate v for gas at room temperature
• It may take a few seconds for a smell to
reach you from across a room, e.g. from
a perfume bottle. What does this
suggest about the path taken by the
perfume particles?
 Reference
• R. P. Feynman, et al., The Feynman Lectures
on Physics, v. I (Addison Wesley, 1970)