[UNIT

5 PHYSICS FROM CREATION TO COLLAPSE 5.1]

5.1 Thermal Energy
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

E = mc
Internal Energy
Absolute Zero
m<c2> = 3/2kT
Equation of state for an Ideal Gas

1. E = mc

Energy transferred to a material, E, is given by:

E = mc
where m is the mass of the material, kg
c is the specific heat capacity, J kg-1 K-1
is the change in temperature, K
Specific heat capacity, c the amount of energy required to
raise the temperature of 1kg of a substance by 1K.
<See eg on pg 117>

Figure 5.1 Experiment to determine specific heat capacity of

liquids

2. Internal Energy
is the sum of the kinetic and potential energies of all
molecules within a given mass.
Each molecule will contain both energies.
The internal energy is randomly distributed as per MaxwellBoltzmann distribution.
As temperature rises, the range of distribution will be spread
further and the its peak will also move towards higher
energies.
Since masses of the same molecules are the same, the kinetic
energy is dependent on its speed.

Figure 5.2 Experiment to determine specific heat capacity of

solids.

Figure 5.3 Maxwell-Boltzmann distribution

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[UNIT 5 PHYSICS FROM CREATION TO COLLAPSE 5.1]

3. Absolute Zero

<read pg115>
Since kinetic energy is proportional to temperature, there
must be a point where kinetic energy is zero and hence
likewise to temperature.
At that temperature, molecules stop vibrating.

4. m<c2> = 3/2kT

5. Equation of state for an Ideal Gas

Boyles law
!
o ! ! ; T, m constant
Charles law
o ! ! ; P, m constant
The pressure law
o ! ! ; T, m constant
<see pg 120, 121>

Root mean square speed <c >, where c is the speed of the
particle
The average kinetic energy of any molecule in a gaseous
sample is proportional to the absolute temperature of the gas.
1 m<c2> = 3 kT
2
2
where Boltzmann constant, k = 1.38 x 10-23 J K-1
<See eg on pg 199>

An ideal gas is a theoretical gas which obeys the ideal gas

law.
It has the following properties:o molecules have negligible size compared to volume
occupied.
o molecules are identical
o molecules collide with each other and containers
without resulting in energy loss, and this happen in
negligible time.
o molecules exert no force on each other
pV = nRT
where universal gas constant, R = 8.31 J kg-1 mol-1
<See eg on og 123>