Calculating the average speed of molecules in a gas

[matt_crouch]

Homework Statement

Given that the integral [between infinity and 0] v³e^-av2dv = 1/2a²

calculate the average speed v_av of molecules in the gas using the maxwell-boltzmann distribution function

Homework Equations

The Attempt at a Solution

i don't really know what to do some guidance please =]

 

[ideasrule]

Let's say I have N particles in a box and I want to find out how many particles have speeds between v and v+dv. How do you use the Maxwell-Boltzmann distribution to do this? How do I find the sum of the speeds of every particle?

Average speed is calculated by adding every particle's speed together and dividing the result by the number of particles.