Gravitational Potential Energy of an Ideal Gas

[Gabriel Maia]

I'm trying to find the avarage enerrgy of an ideal gas when it's under a gravitational potential. I know how to obtain the kinectic avarage energy but the potential energy depends upon the position of each molecule. There is a avarage height lo look for in order to determine this potential term?

 

[BruceW]

yeah, you can find the answer by using an average height. Have you done this kind of problem before with an extended solid object in a gravitational field? The method is similar.