How Is the Average Velocity Derived from the Maxwell-Boltzmann Distribution?

  • Thread starter AStaunton
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In summary: T/(pi)m) using max boltz. distrib.:f(v)=4\pi(\frac{m}{2\pi mkT})^{\frac{3}{2}}v{}^{2}e^{-\frac{mv^{2}}{2kT}}to start with the formula is:\langle v\rangle=\int_{0}^{\infty}vf(v)dvto solve this need substitution x=v^2 and this gives dx=2vdv which gives 1/2dx=vdv and so leads to:
  • #1
AStaunton
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1
trying to show v_average=sqrt(8kT/(pi)m) using max boltz. distrib.:

[tex]f(v)=4\pi(\frac{m}{2\pi mkT})^{\frac{3}{2}}v{}^{2}e^{-\frac{mv^{2}}{2kT}}[/tex]

to start with the formula is:

[tex]\langle v\rangle=\int_{0}^{\infty}vf(v)dv[/tex]

to solve this need substitution x=v^2 and this gives dx=2vdv which gives 1/2dx=vdv and so leads to:

[tex]4\pi(\frac{m}{2\pi kT})^{\frac{3}{2}}\frac{1}{2}\int_{0}^{\infty}xe^{-mx/kT}dx[/tex]

can now integrate the above by parts:

u=x dv=e^-mx/kT
du=dx v=-(kT/m)e^-mx/kTthe uv expression evaluates to 0 and so the final part of interest I am left with is:

[tex]\frac{kT}{m}\int_{0}^{\infty}e^{-mx/kT}dx=-\frac{k^{2}T^{2}}{m^{2}}e^{-mx/kT}|_{0}^{\infty}=-\frac{k^{2}T^{2}}{m^{2}}[/tex]

not forgetting the constant term that was brought outside integral at very start:

[tex](2\pi(\frac{m}{2\pi kT})^{\frac{3}{2}})(-\frac{k^{2}T^{2}}{m^{2}})=-\sqrt{\frac{kT}{2m\pi}}[/tex]

this is my final answer and is in disagreement with the answer I should have gotten for two reasons:
the sign is clearly wrong and also instead of sqrt2 on the bottom I should have sqrt8 on the top:

[tex]\sqrt{\frac{8kT}{m\pi}}[/tex]

Can anyone suggest where problem is, as I have rechecked a few times and I keep coming out with the same answer.
 
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  • #2
sorry, the first lines of latex got messed up, I will repeat this first part of my post:

trying to show v_average=sqrt(8kT/(pi)m) using max boltz. distrib.:

[tex]f(v)=4\pi(\frac{m}{2\pi mkT})^{\frac{3}{2}}v{}^{2}e^{-\frac{mv^{2}}{2kT}}[/tex]

to start with the formula is:

[tex]\langle v\rangle=\int_{0}^{\infty}vf(v)dv[/tex]
 
  • #3
please ignore this post as there are errors in it...
I have reposted this thread. Apologies for the duplicate but don't know how to delete threads
 

Related to How Is the Average Velocity Derived from the Maxwell-Boltzmann Distribution?

1. What is the Maxwell-Boltzmann distribution?

The Maxwell-Boltzmann distribution is a probability distribution that describes the speeds of particles in a gas or liquid at a specific temperature. It shows the distribution of particle speeds and how likely each speed is to occur.

2. What factors affect the shape of the Maxwell-Boltzmann distribution?

The shape of the Maxwell-Boltzmann distribution is affected by the temperature of the gas or liquid, the mass of the particles, and the number of particles present. Higher temperatures result in a wider distribution with more particles having higher speeds, while heavier particles and a larger number of particles result in a narrower distribution with fewer particles having higher speeds.

3. How is the Maxwell-Boltzmann distribution related to the kinetic theory of gases?

The Maxwell-Boltzmann distribution is a result of the kinetic theory of gases, which states that particles in a gas are in constant random motion and have different speeds. The distribution shows the probability of these different speeds occurring in a gas at a given temperature.

4. What is the mean speed and most probable speed in a Maxwell-Boltzmann distribution?

The mean speed in a Maxwell-Boltzmann distribution is the average speed of all the particles in the gas, while the most probable speed is the speed at which the largest number of particles are moving. The most probable speed is always lower than the mean speed.

5. How does the Maxwell-Boltzmann distribution change with increasing temperature?

As the temperature of a gas or liquid increases, the Maxwell-Boltzmann distribution shifts to the right, meaning that there is a higher probability of particles having higher speeds. This is because higher temperatures result in more kinetic energy, causing particles to move faster and have higher speeds on average.

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