In a mixture of gases, how is the RMS speed of the mixture calculated?
Practice Questions
Q1
In a mixture of gases, how is the RMS speed of the mixture calculated?
Using the average molar mass of the mixture
Using the molar mass of the heaviest gas
Using the molar mass of the lightest gas
It cannot be calculated
Questions & Step-by-Step Solutions
In a mixture of gases, how is the RMS speed of the mixture calculated?
Step 1: Identify the gases in the mixture and their respective molar masses.
Step 2: Calculate the average molar mass (M_avg) of the mixture using the formula: M_avg = (sum of (molar mass of each gas * its mole fraction)) / (sum of mole fractions).
Step 3: Determine the temperature (T) in Kelvin and the universal gas constant (R), which is approximately 8.314 J/(mol·K).
Step 4: Use the formula for RMS speed: v_rms = sqrt((3RT)/M_avg).
Step 5: Plug in the values of R, T, and M_avg into the formula to calculate the RMS speed.
