All Problems

Kinetic theory of gases. Boltzmanns Law and Maxwell distribution

Problem 2.95

Making use of the Maxwell distribution function, find 1/v,\langle 1 / v\rangle, the mean value of the reciprocal of the velocity of molecules in an ideal gas at a temperature T,T, if the mass of each molecule is equal to m.m . Compare the value obtained with the reciprocal of the mean velocity.

Reveal Answer
1/v=2m/πkT=4πv\langle 1 / v\rangle=\sqrt{2 m / \pi k T}=4 \pi\langle v\rangle