Kinetic Theory

An ideal gas obeys the gas law:

pV = nRT,

where p is the pressure, V the volume, n the number of moles, and T the temperature.

The kinetic theory is a theory that tries to explain why a gas would obey such a law. The theory imagines the following details:

1. The gas is made up of very small particles.
2. The particles do not attract or repel each other.
3. The particles move fast enough that the effect of gravity may be neglected.
4. If the particles hit the wall or hit each other, it is perfectly elastic. (No friction or heat produced.)

These details are called "assumptions." Using these assumption, it is actually possible to derive mathematically the ideal gas law.


Copyright 2010 by Kai Hock. All rights reserved.
Last updated: 30 September 2010.