Thermodynamics studies systems made of an enormous number of particles, of order Avogadro’s number . Describing the motion of each one is impossible: kinetic theory links microscopic properties (speed, collisions) to macroscopic quantities (pressure, temperature). This chapter builds the ideal gas model, relates internal energy and temperature, derives the speed distribution and the equation of state, and closes with the work done by a gas and Van der Waals real gases.
Sections
- The ideal gas model
- Internal energy and temperature
- Root-mean-square speed
- The Maxwell-Boltzmann distribution
- Mean free path
- Pressure and the ideal gas law
- Work done by a gas and by the atmosphere
- An introduction to real gases: the Van der Waals equation
Reflections
- From the chaos of the invisible to the order of the visible
- Atoms: from philosophical hypothesis to experimental evidence