Gas considered as lots of molecules

  • Thread starter Thread starter WiFO215
  • Start date Start date
  • Tags Tags
    Gas Molecules
Click For Summary
The discussion centers on the approximation of gases as collections of molecules that behave like "beach balls" bouncing in space, primarily justified by the dominance of Coulomb forces over gravitational forces in molecular interactions. The approximation simplifies complex interactions, allowing for the use of statistical mechanics to describe gas behavior without calculating numerous force equations. It is noted that while monatomic gases fit this model well, diatomic and polyatomic gases exhibit more complex behaviors. The kinetic theory of gases supports this model, showing that at high temperatures, molecules can be treated as rigid spheres with elastic collisions. The conversation emphasizes that while the model is an approximation, it accurately reflects the underlying physics of gas behavior.
  • #31
anirudh215 said:
... how do I [we?] learn further from here?
Another, shorter-term suggestion for you:

Besides Physics Forums, you could look online at wikipedia or hyperphysics. A few topics to look for are:

The Schrodinger Equation (the time-dependent and also time-independent versions)
wavefunctions
eigenvalues, eigenvectors, and eigenfunctions​

These are some of the fundamental building blocks to learning quantum mechanics.

As for me, if I had the time I'd probably look for journal articles dealing with the possible measurements we have been discussing here. But my current, personal interests are to learn more about electric motors, power generation, and thermodynamics.

Good luck to you.
 
Physics news on Phys.org
  • #32
Redbelly98 said:
Another, shorter-term suggestion for you:

Besides Physics Forums, you could look online at wikipedia or hyperphysics. A few topics to look for are:

The Schrodinger Equation (the time-dependent and also time-independent versions)
wavefunctions
eigenvalues, eigenvectors, and eigenfunctions​

These are some of the fundamental building blocks to learning quantum mechanics.

I know what eigenvalues/ functions are. My Linear Algebra is not too bad and getting better. I don't know much about the other two though. I'll look into those. I am currently to learn about classical statistical mechanics and quantum mechanics and that is where all these questions popped up from. Texts always seem to leave many holes in my understanding.

Good luck to you.

Thanks for all your help! Does anyone else have comments on this?
 

Similar threads

  • · Replies 28 ·
Replies
28
Views
3K
Replies
2
Views
2K
  • · Replies 3 ·
Replies
3
Views
2K
Replies
17
Views
2K
  • · Replies 61 ·
3
Replies
61
Views
5K
Replies
7
Views
2K
  • · Replies 18 ·
Replies
18
Views
2K
Replies
2
Views
1K
  • · Replies 17 ·
Replies
17
Views
2K
  • · Replies 45 ·
2
Replies
45
Views
5K