The temperature of a gas is , and the average translational kinetic energy of its molecules is . The temperature at which the average translational kinetic energy of the molecules of the same gas becomes is:
- A
- B
- C
- D
The temperature of a gas is , and the average translational kinetic energy of its molecules is . The temperature at which the average translational kinetic energy of the molecules of the same gas becomes is:
Correct answer:B
Standard Method
Given: Initial temperature is and initial average translational kinetic energy is .
Find: The temperature at which the average translational kinetic energy becomes .
For an ideal gas, the average translational kinetic energy is directly proportional to the absolute temperature:
So,
Convert the initial temperature to Kelvin:
Now use :
Therefore,
Convert back to Celsius:
Therefore, the correct option is B, and the required temperature is .
Direct Proportionality Trick
Given: Average translational kinetic energy changes from to .
Find: The corresponding temperature.
Since translational kinetic energy is directly proportional to Kelvin temperature, doubling the kinetic energy means doubling the Kelvin temperature.
Initial temperature:
Double it:
Convert to Celsius:
This works because proportionality is with absolute temperature, not Celsius temperature. Therefore, the correct option is B.
Using Celsius directly in the proportionality is incorrect because the relation holds for absolute temperature in Kelvin. First convert to , then apply the ratio.
Doubling the Celsius temperature instead of the Kelvin temperature gives a wrong result. The kinetic energy becomes only when the Kelvin temperature doubles, not when the Celsius reading doubles.
Forgetting to convert the final temperature back to Celsius can lead to choosing as the answer. After finding the Kelvin value, convert it to Celsius to match the options.
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