Physics · Law of equipartition of energy and applications to specific heat capacities of gases

The quantity represents (where internal energy of gas

The quantity \( \frac{2 U}{f k T} \) represents (where \( U= \) internal energy of gas

  • A. mass of the gas
  • B. kinetic energy of the gas
  • C. number of moles of the gas
  • D. number of molecules in the gas

Step-by-step solution

The internal energy of an ideal gas with f degrees of freedom is U = (f/2) N k T, where N is the number of molecules, k is Boltzmann's constant, and T is temperature. Rearranging gives N = 2U/(f k T). Therefore, the expression represents the number of molecules.
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