Different kinds of Kinetic energy

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Homework Help Overview

The discussion revolves around the different types of kinetic energy (KE) in the context of thermodynamics, particularly focusing on molecular motion in gases. Participants are exploring concepts such as translational and rotational kinetic energy, as well as the relationship between internal energy and average kinetic energy.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory, Conceptual clarification, Assumption checking

Approaches and Questions Raised

  • The original poster attempts to clarify the definitions of translational and rotational kinetic energy. Other participants provide general definitions of kinetic energy and express confusion about the terms related to moles and molar mass. Questions arise regarding the relationship between internal energy and average kinetic energy, as well as the interchangeability of kinetic energy, potential energy, and work.

Discussion Status

Participants are actively engaging with the concepts, seeking clarification and expressing confusion about specific terms and relationships. Some guidance has been offered in the form of definitions, but multiple interpretations and questions remain unresolved.

Contextual Notes

There is a noted lack of clarity regarding the meanings of moles, molecules, and molar mass, as well as the relationship between different forms of energy. Participants are working within the constraints of their understanding of thermodynamics and kinetic energy concepts.

AznBoi
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I'm studying thermodynamics and I've come across different types of KE's in the motion of molecules within gases. What is "translational kinetic energy?" Is "rotational kinetic energy" just the rotational movement of the molecules?
 
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"Kinetic energy is the energy of motion. An object which has motion - whether it be vertical or horizontal motion - has kinetic energy. There are many forms of kinetic energy - vibrational (the energy due to vibrational motion), rotational (the energy due to rotational motion), and translational (the energy due to motion from one location to another)."

You can find that information anywhere on the internet. Just search Google.
 
husky88 said:
"Kinetic energy is the energy of motion. An object which has motion - whether it be vertical or horizontal motion - has kinetic energy. There are many forms of kinetic energy - vibrational (the energy due to vibrational motion), rotational (the energy due to rotational motion), and translational (the energy due to motion from one location to another)."

You can find that information anywhere on the internet. Just search Google.

oh okay. I just didn't know what the word "translational" meant. Also, are the internal energy and avg KE both equal to: [tex]\frac{3}{2}k_{b}T[/tex]?? Is this true because the internal energy is basically all of the KE and PE's of molecules within the system? I'm referring to the avg KE and internal energy per molecule and not the total KE and internal energy
 
I'm kind of getting confused on moles, molecules, molar mass, mass of the molecules. Does anyone mind making these terms more clearer to me? I can only figure their meanings through equations and even if I do I still don't know their real meanings.

[tex]n=\frac{N}{N_{A}} \qquad m*N_{A}=M[/tex]

I especially don't get the molar mass equation, here is what I did to somewhat get a sense of the meanings:

[tex][\frac{mass}{#molecules}*\frac{#molecules}{mole}=\frac{mass}{mole}][/tex]

m is the mass of all of the molecules correct? Which would also be equal to the total weight of the gas??
 
I'm reading my text and it seems like [tex]KE=\Delta U=W[/tex] can these three variables be used interchangably but not conceptually? I keep getting mixed up with these three and would like to know if they are always equal to each other. I know that U relates to the microscopic molecular energies of the system so their units are all the same but..
 

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