According to the kinetic molecular theory of gases, what happens to the average kinetic energy of gas molecules when the absolute temperature (in Kelvin) is tripled?
Answer and explanation
Correct answer: A. It triples (3x)
- Step 1: Recall kinetic molecular theory: Average translational kinetic energy of gas molecules is directly proportional to absolute temperature: KE_avg = (3/2) k_B T.
- Step 2: If T increases from T to 3T, KE_avg increases from (3/2)k_B T to 3 * (3/2)k_B T.
- Step 3: Therefore, average kinetic energy triples.
Answer
It triples (3x).
Why not the others: 'It increases by a factor of 9 (9x)' confuses average kinetic energy with temperature squared; 'It increases by a factor of sqrt(3)' confuses average kinetic energy with root-mean-square velocity; 'It remains constant' violates kinetic molecular theory.
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