What are the rules applied to the kinetic theory of gases?

1 Answer
Sep 2, 2017

The following rules are assumed to hold for gases in kinetic theory,

1) An infinitesimal volume of a gas contains a large number if molecules.

2) Molecules exert no forces on each other except for when they collide.

3) Molecules are perfectly elastic and hard spheres that occupy a negligible volume.

4) Molecules move in straight paths between two successive collisions.

5) The time of collisions is much smaller than time between collisions.

6) All collisions including intermolecular collisions and collisions of molecules with walls of the container are perfectly elastic. The walls of the container are perfectly smooth.

7) In absence of an external field, the molecules exhibit complete chaos and move in all possible directions. There is no preferred direction if motion.

8) Molecules can move with all possible velocities from zero to the speed of light.