What is the relationship between proton energy and temperature in the Sun?

[rjs523]

Hi

I'm trying to calculate the energy of a proton in the sun. I know the temperature so I thought to use the equation E=3/2kT but in my textbook it says that I should only use E=kT. I don't understand why this is because surely each proton has 3 degrees of freedom?

Thanks

 

[phyzguy]

The average energy is in fact 3/2 kT, but there will be a distribution of energies, so some protons will have more energy and some less. See:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maxwell-Boltzmann_distribution

 

[edo1493]

I thought it was the formula to calculate the kinetic energy of a gas..??

 

[phyzguy]

I thought it was the formula to calculate the kinetic energy of a gas..??

It is... The sun is a gas.

 

[edo1493]

I thought it was an hot ball, formed by matter and gas.

 

[Borek]

I thought it was an hot ball, formed by matter and gas.

Can you elaborate on the "matter that is not a gas" in the Sun?

 

[edo1493]

I thought that there was something solid, but this is a completely misunderstanding, cause the high temperature nothing could be in the solid form. .-. ?

 

[Borek]

Right. Sun is a ball of plasma. Plasma - in many aspects - is similar to gas. No solids nor liquids there.

 

[edo1493]

Ok, thank you.