- #1
cyborg6060
- 10
- 0
In van der Waals' equation for real gases, the adaptation to account for intermolecular attractions in real gas is [itex]a\frac{n^2}{V^2}[/itex]. This implies that the pressure due to the VDW forces on the container is proportional to the square of the density, [itex]\rho^2 = \frac{n^2}{V^2}[/itex].
When I do calculations following from [itex]P_{VDW}=\frac{\pi \rho^2 \lambda}{H^3}[/itex], I end up with a cubic dependence.
Is there a qualitative way to imagine why the pressure is proportional to the square of the molecular density, [itex]\rho[/itex]?
When I do calculations following from [itex]P_{VDW}=\frac{\pi \rho^2 \lambda}{H^3}[/itex], I end up with a cubic dependence.
Is there a qualitative way to imagine why the pressure is proportional to the square of the molecular density, [itex]\rho[/itex]?