Like all substances, gases are made up of moving particles.The diagrams below show two pure samples of gas in identical closed containers. The colored balls represent the particles in each sample.Sample ASample BThe mass of each particle is the same. The particles in sample A have a higher average speed than the particles in sample B.Which particles have the higher average kinetic energy?

1 answer

The average kinetic energy of gas particles is directly related to their speed. The kinetic energy (KE) of a particle can be expressed by the formula:

\[ \text{KE} = \frac{1}{2}mv^2 \]

where \(m\) is the mass of the particle, and \(v\) is its speed. In your case, since the mass of each particle in samples A and B is the same, the kinetic energy will depend primarily on the speed of the particles.

Since it is stated that the particles in sample A have a higher average speed than the particles in sample B, the particles in sample A will have a higher average kinetic energy. Thus, the particles in sample A have the higher average kinetic energy.