When the temperature of a gas increases, the average speed of its molecules
remains the same
decreases
increases
either increases or decreases depending on the gas
Answer is Right!
Answer is Wrong!
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UPSC Geoscientist – 2023
According to the kinetic theory of gases, the absolute temperature of an ideal gas is directly proportional to the average kinetic energy of its molecules. Kinetic energy is given by the formula $KE = \frac{1}{2}mv^2$, where $m$ is the mass of a molecule and $v$ is its speed. As temperature increases, the average kinetic energy of the molecules increases. Since the mass of the molecules remains constant, an increase in average kinetic energy implies an increase in the average value of $v^2$. The average speed of the molecules is related to the average of the square of the speed (root-mean-square speed), and both increase with increasing temperature.