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⚛️ Physics  ·  Kinetic Theory  ·  NEET & JEE

At a fixed temperature, the average translational kinetic energy of a molecule depends on:

Answer: temperature only.

  • A temperature only
  • B molecular mass
  • C gas volume
  • D gas pressure only

Correct answer: A. temperature only

Explanation: Average translational KE = (3/2)kT, which depends only on absolute temperature.

Maxwell-Boltzmann Speed Distributionspeed (v)fraction of moleculesv_pv_avgv_rmsv_p < v_avg < v_rms always, for any gas at any temperature

Not all gas molecules move at the same speed - the Maxwell-Boltzmann distribution shows the spread, with the most probable speed vp slightly less than the average vavg, which is slightly less than the root-mean-square speed vrms used in the pressure formula.

Concept context

Kinetic theory of gases connects molecular motion to pressure and temperature, explaining gas laws, specific heats, and molecular speeds.

Read the full Kinetic Theory notes →