Physics
Textbooks
Boundless Physics
Physics Textbooks Boundless Physics
Physics Textbooks
Physics

Chapter 12

Temperature and Kinetic Theory

Book Version 3
By Boundless
Boundless Physics
Physics
by Boundless
View the full table of contents
Section 1
Introduction
Thumbnail
Overview of Temperature and Kinetic Theory

The kinetic theory of gases describes a gas as a large number of small particles (atoms and molecules) in constant, random motion.

Thumbnail
Atomic Theory of Matter

Atomic theory is a scientific theory of the nature of matter which states that matter is composed of discrete units called atoms.

Section 2
Temperature and Temperature Scales
Thumbnail
Celsius Scale

Celsius, or centigrade, is a scale and unit of measurement for temperature. It is one of the most commonly used temperature units.

Thumbnail
Farenheit Scale

In the Fahrenheit scale, the freezing of water is defined at 32 degrees, while the boiling point of water is defined to be 212 degrees.

Thumbnail
Absolute Zero

Absolute zero is the coldest possible temperature; formally, it is the temperature at which entropy reaches its minimum value.

Thumbnail
Kelvin Scale

The kelvin is a unit of measurement for temperature; the null point of the Kelvin scale is absolute zero, the lowest possible temperature.

Section 3
Thermal Expansion
Thumbnail
Linear Expansion

Thermal expansion is the tendency of matter to change in volume in response to a change in temperature.

Thumbnail
Area Expansion

Objects expand in all dimensions. That is, their areas and volumes, as well as their lengths, increase with temperature.

Thumbnail
Volume Expansion

Substances expand or contract when their temperature changes, with expansion or contraction occurring in all directions.

Thumbnail
Special Properties of Water

Objects will expand with increasing temperature, but water is the most important exception to the general rule.

Section 4
Ideal Gas Law
Thumbnail
Equations of State

The ideal gas law is the equation of state of a hypothetical ideal gas (in which there is no molecule to molecule interaction).

Thumbnail
Isotherms

An isothermal process is a change of a system in which the temperature remains constant: ΔT = 0.

Thumbnail
Constant Pressure

Isobaric processis a thermodynamic process in which the pressure stays constant (at constant pressure, work done by a gas is $P \Delta V$).

Thumbnail
Problem Solving

With the ideal gas law we can figure pressure, volume or temperature, and the number of moles of gases under ideal thermodynamic conditions.

Thumbnail
Avogador's Number

The number of molecules in a mole is called Avogadro's number (NA)—defined as 6.02x 1023 mol-1.

Thumbnail
Absolute Temperature

Absolute temperature is the most commoly used thermodyanmic temperature unit and is the standard unit of temperature.

Section 5
Kinetic Theory
Thumbnail
Origin of Pressure

Pressure is explained by kinetic theory as arising from the force exerted by molecules or atoms impacting on the walls of a container.

Thumbnail
Speed Distribution of Molecules

A gas of many molecules has a predictable distribution of molecular speeds, known as the Maxwell-Boltzmann distribution.

Thumbnail
Temperature

Temperature is directly proportional to the average translational kinetic energy of molecules in an ideal gas.

Thumbnail
Internal Energy of an Ideal Gas

Internal energy is the total energy contained by a thermodynamic system, and has two major components: kinetic energy and potential energy.

Section 6
Phase Changes
Thumbnail
Phase Changes and Energy Conservation

During a phase transition, certain properties of the medium change, often discontinuously, as a result of some external condition.

Thumbnail
Humidity, Evaporation, and Boiling

The amount of water vapor in air is a result of evaporation or boiling, until an equilibrium is reached.

Section 7
The Zeroth Law of Thermodynamics
Thumbnail
The Zeroth Law of Thermodynamics

The Zeroth Law of Thermodynamics states that systems in thermal equilibrium are at the same temperature.

Section 8
Thermal Stresses
Thumbnail
Thermal Stresses

Thermal stress is created when a change in size or volume is constrained due to a change in temperature.

Section 9
Diffusion
Thumbnail
Diffusion

Diffusion is the movement of particles from regions of high concentration towards regions of lower concentration.

You are in this book
Boundless Physics by Boundless
Previous Chapter
Chapter 11
Fluid Dynamics and Its Applications
  • Overview
  • Flow in Tubes
  • Bernoulli's Equation
  • Other Applications
Current Chapter
Chapter 12
Temperature and Kinetic Theory
  • Introduction
  • Temperature and Temperature Scales
  • Thermal Expansion
  • Ideal Gas Law
  • Kinetic Theory
and 4 more sections...
Next Chapter
Chapter 13
Heat and Heat Transfer
  • Introduction
  • Specific Heat
  • Phase Change and Latent Heat
  • Methods of Heat Transfer
  • Global Warming
and 1 more sections...
Subjects
  • Accounting
  • Algebra
  • Art History
  • Biology
  • Business
  • Calculus
  • Chemistry
  • Communications
  • Economics
  • Finance
  • Management
  • Marketing
  • Microbiology
  • Physics
  • Physiology
  • Political Science
  • Psychology
  • Sociology
  • Statistics
  • U.S. History
  • World History
  • Writing

Except where noted, content and user contributions on this site are licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 with attribution required.