Skip to content

#collision time

3 public questions tagged with this topic.

What is the time between collisions for a gas molecule with a mean free path of 1.5 × 10⁻⁷ m and average speed of 450 m/

**Mean free path variation** λ ∝1/n ∝1/P at constant T, λ ∝ T/P, temperature increase increases λ because n decreases at constant P, but also v increases, overall λ ∝ T/P, for gas at 2 atm λ=4×10⁻⁷ m, at 4 atm λ=2×10⁻⁷ m halves when pressure doubles, as n doubles. tau = (l)/() = 1.5 × 10⁻⁷/4⁵⁰ = 3.33 × 10⁻¹⁰ s. Substituting values gives 3.33 × 10⁻¹⁰ s, which matches expected kinetic theory result, confirming mean free path λ = 1/(√2 n π d²), ideal gas law P V = n R T and v_rms = √(3 R T/M) relations.

Ref: NCERT > Physics Book > Behaviour of Perfect Gas and Kinetic Theory > Collision Frequency and Mean Free Path Variation

What is the average speed of a molecule if its mean free path is 4 × 10⁻⁷ m and time between collisions is 8 × 10⁻¹⁰ s?

**Mean free path variation** λ ∝1/n ∝1/P at constant T, λ ∝ T/P, temperature increase increases λ because n decreases at constant P, but also v increases, overall λ ∝ T/P, for gas at 2 atm λ=4×10⁻⁷ m, at 4 atm λ=2×10⁻⁷ m halves when pressure doubles, as n doubles. Mean free path l =tau.= (l)/(tau) = 4 × 10⁻⁷⁸ × 10⁻¹⁰ = 500 m/s . Substituting values gives 500 m/s, which matches expected kinetic theory result, confirming mean free path λ = 1/(√2 n π d²), ideal gas law P V = n R T and v_rms = √(3 R T/M) relations.

Ref: NCERT > Physics Book > Behaviour of Perfect Gas and Kinetic Theory > Collision Frequency and Mean Free Path Variation

What is the time between collisions for a gas molecule with a mean free path of 4.5 × 10⁻⁷ m and average speed of 450 m/

**Ideal gas internal energy** proportional to temperature, U = (f/2) R T per mole, monatomic 3/2 R T, diatomic 5/2 R T, change ΔU = f/2 n R ΔT, for temperature increase internal energy rises, explaining why heating gas at constant volume raises U entirely as heat. tau = (l)/() = 4.5 × 10⁻⁷/4⁵⁰ = 1.0 × 10⁻⁹ s. Substituting values gives 1.0 × 10⁻⁹ s, which matches expected kinetic theory result, confirming mean free path λ = 1/(√2 n π d²), ideal gas law P V = n R T and v_rms = √(3 R T/M) relations.

Ref: NCERT > Physics Book > Behaviour of Perfect Gas and Kinetic Theory > Internal Energy of Ideal Gases