Question

What is an ideal or perfect gas? Explain.

Answer 1

An ideal gas is a hypothetical gas that perfectly obeys the gas laws (Boyle's, Charles's, Avogadro's) and the ideal gas equation (PV=nRT) under all conditions of temperature and pressure.

Answer 2

An ideal gas is a hypothetical gas that perfectly obeys the gas laws (Boyle's Law, Charles's Law, Avogadro's Law) under all conditions of temperature and pressure. It is described by the ideal gas equation, $PV = nRT$.

Key characteristics of an ideal gas:

1. Negligible Volume of Molecules: The volume occupied by the gas molecules themselves is considered negligible compared to the total volume of the container.

2. No Intermolecular Forces: There are no attractive or repulsive forces between the gas molecules.

3. Elastic Collisions: Collisions between gas molecules and with the walls of the container are perfectly elastic, meaning there is no net loss of kinetic energy.

4. Random Motion: Gas molecules are in continuous, random, and straight-line motion.

5. Kinetic Energy Proportional to Temperature: The average kinetic energy of the gas molecules is directly proportional to the absolute temperature of the gas.

No real gas is truly ideal, but real gases exhibit ideal behavior at high temperatures and low pressures.