MAXWELL BOLTZMANN DISTRIBUTION
MOLECULAR DISTRIBUTION OF SPEEDS: In a sample of a gas the molecules are in a continuous and
random motion as we already know. This is the reason why it is expected that
the speeds of the molecules will lie in widespread ranges. Maxwell and Boltzmann
studied the speed distribution in a sample of an ideal gas at a given
temperature. We will not study the exact equation that they gave for the
distribution but will study the distribution curve of speeds which is very
important.(MAXWELL-BOLTZMANN DISTRIBUTION).
If we plot the fraction of molecules versus velocity graph
for a given sample of an ideal gas at a particular temperature we obtain the
following curve:
To calculate the probability that a molecule will have a
speed in the range v1 to v2, we integrate the distribution between those two
limits; the integral is equal to the area of the curve between the limits, as
shown shaded here.
This is called probabilistic distribution curve. The area
covered between any two velocities as shown represents the molecules present in
that range of speeds. The total area under the curve represents total number of
molecules in the sample. And therefore the ratio of these two gives us the
fraction of molecules lying in the specified range of speeds. There are some
very vital conclusions that can be drawn from the above curve:
1. In the sample,
molecules with very low velocity and those with very high velocities both are
less in number as the curve is narrow at both the extremes.
2. Most of the
molecules lie around the central point of the curve which is called Most Probable
point of the curve. Maximum area is covered around this point. The speed at
this point is called “Most Probable Speed” (uMP).
3. The area under
the curve gives the total number of gas molecules.
4. There are two
more molecular speeds defined for a sample called “Average speed (uAVG)” and “Root mean square
speed (uRMS)”.
These speeds are given by the following expressions:
uMP
= 2RT /M uAVG = 8RT / пM uRMS = 3RT /M
These speeds are represented on the curve. It can be
observed that
uRMS
> uAVG > uMP
The ratio of these speeds is:
uMP:
uAVG : uRMS = 1: 1.128: 1.224
5. On increasing
the temperature of the sample, the velocities of the molecules increases and
the curve takes a shift to the right, the area under the curve remaining
constant. Now, the fraction in the lower velocity range will be lesser and that
in the higher velocity range will be higher. The molecular speeds also increase
with temperature as shown.
Fig. The Maxwell Boltzmann distribution of speeds and its variation
with the temperature. Note the broadening of the distribution and the shift of
the rms speed (denoted by the locations of the vertical lines) to higher values
as the temperature is increased.
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