Heard about the Kinetic Energy of Gases? The temperature of a gas is a measure of the mean kinetic energy of the gas. The molecules are in constant random motion, and there is an energy (mass x square of the velocity) associated with that motion. The higher the temperature, the greater the motion. Gas particles are in a constant state of random motion and move in straight lines until they collide with another body. The collisions exhibited by gas particles are completely elastic; when two molecules collide, total kinetic energy is conserved. If we compress a gas without changing its temperature, the average kinetic energy of the gas particles stays the same. Nitrogen and helium, at 100°C, have the highest average kinetic energy because they have the highest temperature. According to kinetic theory, "the average kinetic energy of gas molecules depends upon the absolute temperature. At any given temperature, the molecules of all gases have the same average kinetic energy".

Priya R Nair

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