Thermodynamics problem - Find the kinetic energy of ideal gas, given P and V

arddi2007
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Homework Statement



Find the Kinetic Energy of the ideal gas \overline{Ek}=? if its volume is 10 liters (10-2 m3) and it is under the pressure of p=5·105.

Homework Equations



p·V = N·k·T (where p-pressure, V-volume, N-number of particles (molecules), k- Boltzmann constant, T-absolute temperature (in Kelvins))
Ek=Mm·\overline{v}2/2 (where Mm-the mass of the molecule and \overline{v}-the quadratic velocity of the molecule)
Ek=3/2 k·T (where k-the Boltzmann constant and Ek - kinetic energy (of the ideal gas in this case))

The Attempt at a Solution



With the help of Wikipedia, I was really close to solving this one. But at the end I got a little confused and now I need help. This is my progress:

p·V=N·k·T
p= N·k·T/V
p=N/V · 2/3 Ek
p·V = 2/3 N · Ek

Knowing that Ek=Mm·\overline{v}2/2 :

p·V= 2/3 · N · Mm·\overline{v}2/2

Since p·V=N·k·T:

N·k·T=N·Mm·\overline{v}2/3

then: T= Mm·\overline{v}2/3·k

This is the part when it gets tricky. I assumed that since Ek=2/3 k·T, it would be that:

T=2/3 Ek/k

and then we would substitute T in p·V=N·k·T. But it Wikipedia it says that Ek=2/3 k·T·N. Can anyone confirm that and tell me where that equation was derived from?

I really need to solve this equation. As you can see, I nearly solved it but I just need a small push. I really need to get this done by tonight so any help at all would be greatly appreciated. Thank you very much for your time!
 
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arddi2007 said:
With the help of Wikipedia, I was really close to solving this one. But at the end I got a little confused and now I need help. This is my progress:

p·V=N·k·T
p= N·k·T/V
p=N/V · 2/3 Ek
p·V = 2/3 N · Ek
OK. Looks to me like you're just about done. Note that Ek is the average KE per molecule so N · Ek would be the total KE of the gas.
 
hi arddi2007! :smile:
arddi2007 said:
Find the Kinetic Energy of the ideal gas \overline{Ek}=? if its volume is 10 liters (10-2 m3) and it is under the pressure of p=5·105.

p·V = N·k·T (where p-pressure, V-volume, N-number of particles (molecules), k- Boltzmann constant, T-absolute temperature (in Kelvins))

… Wikipedia it says that Ek=2/3 k·T·N. Can anyone confirm that and tell me where that equation was derived from?

i don't remember this stuff well,

but if p·V = N·k·T and Ek=2/3 k·T·N, doesn't that immediately give you Ek = 2/3 p·V ?
 
Doc Al said:
OK. Looks to me like you're just about done. Note that Ek is the average KE per molecule so N · Ek would be the total KE of the gas.

tiny-tim said:
hi arddi2007! :smile:


i don't remember this stuff well,

but if p·V = N·k·T and Ek=2/3 k·T·N, doesn't that immediately give you Ek = 2/3 p·V ?

Thank you, I just needed the confirmation. So, all that is left to do is to substitute and from there we get:

Ek = 2/3 p·V

The part that I did not get was that Ek is the average KE per molecule, while the total KE of the gas is N·Ek. Thank you both very much!
 
Just an addendum to my last post:
arddi2007 said:
This is the part when it gets tricky. I assumed that since Ek=2/3 k·T,
Must be a typo. Ek = 3/2 kT.
But it Wikipedia it says that Ek=2/3 k·T·N.
Really?
 
arddi2007 said:
Thank you, I just needed the confirmation. So, all that is left to do is to substitute and from there we get:

Ek = 2/3 p·V
Careful with that.

The part that I did not get was that Ek is the average KE per molecule, while the total KE of the gas is N·Ek.
Right!
 
Thank you very much for the heads up. I normally wouldn't make that mistake on my notebook but it's sometimes hard to focus when typing it.

By the way, I checked with my professor and he confirmed the solution is correct. Thank you all so much!
 
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