Log out Go to App
Go to App

Learning Materials

Features

Discover

Chapter 20: Q. 5 (page 566)

If the pressure of a gas is really due to the random collisions of molecules with the walls of the container, why do pressure gauges— even very sensitive ones—give perfectly steady readings? Shouldn’t the gauge be continually jiggling and fluctuating? Explain.

Short Answer

Expert verified

As the pressure gauges measure the average pressure exerted by the millions of molecules and atoms colliding on the walls of the container, thus there is no fluctuation on the pressure gauge.

Step by step solution

01

Given Information

Pressure of the gas is due to the random collision of molecules on the walls of the container. However, still the normal and sensitive pressure gauges do not show any fluctuation in the readings.

02

Finding the reason of non-fluctuation or jiggling of the pressure gauges 

The gauges that measure the pressure of the gas focuses on the macroscopic property of the element that is being taken into consideration. In case of a gas, there are millions of atoms and molecules that are colliding against the walls of the container. However, the gauge only measures the average pressure that is exerted by the millions of molecules and atoms. As a result there is no fluctuation even on a sensitive gauge.

Unlock Step-by-Step Solutions & Ace Your Exams!

  • Full Textbook Solutions

    Get detailed explanations and key concepts

  • Unlimited Al creation

    Al flashcards, explanations, exams and more...

  • Ads-free access

    To over 500 millions flashcards

  • Money-back guarantee

    We refund you if you fail your exam.

Start your free trial

Over 30 million students worldwide already upgrade their learning with Vaia!

One App. One Place for Learning.

All the tools & learning materials you need for study success - in one app.

Get started for free

Most popular questions from this chapter

The rmsspeed of molecules in a gas is 600m/s. What will be the rms speed if the gas pressure and volume are both halved?

Photons of light scatter off molecules, and the distance you can see through a gas is proportional to the mean free path of photons through the gas. Photons are not gas molecules, so the mean free path of a photon is not given by Equation20.3, but its dependence on the number density of the gas and on the molecular radius is the same. Suppose you are in a smoggy city and can barely see buildingslocalid="1648634576764" role="math" 500away.

a. How far would you be able to see if all the molecules around you suddenly doubled in volumelocalid="1648634590441" ?

b. How far would you be able to see if the temperature suddenly rose from 20°Cto a blazing hot500°Cwith the pressure unchanged?

Equation 20.3is the mean free path of a particle through a gas of identical particles of equal radius. An electron can be thought of as a point particle with zero radius.

a. Find an expression for the mean free path of an electron through a gas.

b. Electrons travel 3kmthrough the Stanford Linear Accelerator. In order for scattering losses to be negligible, the pressure inside the accelerator tube must be reduced to the point where the mean free path is at least 50km. What is the maximum possible pressure inside the accelerator tube, assuming T=20°C?Give your answer in both Paand atm.

Consider a container like that shown in Figure 20.12, with n1moles of a monatomic gas on one side and n2moles of a diatomic gas on the other. The monatomic gas has initial temperature T1i. The diatomic gas has initial temperatureT2i .
a. Show that the equilibrium thermal energies are

E1f=3n13n1+5n2E1i+E2iE2f=5n23n1+5n2E1i+E2i

b. Show that the equilibrium temperature is

Tf=3n1T1i+5n2T2i3n1+5n2

c.2.0g of helium at an initial temperature of role="math" localid="1648474536876" 300Kinteracts thermally with 8.0gof oxygen at an initial temperature of600K . What is the final temperature? How much heat energy is transferred, and in which direction?

A monatomic gas and a diatomic gas have equal numbers of moles and equal temperatures. Both are heated at constant pressure until their volume doubles. What is the ratio Qdiatomic/Qmonatomic?
See all solutions

Recommended explanations on Physics Textbooks

Thermodynamics

Read Explanation

Electricity

Read Explanation

Dynamics

Read Explanation

Electricity and Magnetism

Read Explanation

Mechanics and Materials

Read Explanation

Famous Physicists

Read Explanation
View all explanations

What do you think about this solution?

We value your feedback to improve our textbook solutions.

Study anywhere. Anytime. Across all devices.

Sign-up for free