Question
Question: When we place a gas cylinder on a van and the van moves, does the kinetic energy of the molecules in...
When we place a gas cylinder on a van and the van moves, does the kinetic energy of the molecules increase? Does the temperature increase?
Solution
We know that the gas molecules' kinetic energy directly depends on the gas molecules' motion, and the temperature of gas molecules depends on the kinetic energy. So use the relation of kinetic energy with temperature and particle motion to determine the correct answer.
Complete step by step solution:
The kinetic energy depends on the motion of the gas molecules present in the cylinder. If the molecules' motion becomes fast, then the molecules' kinetic energy increases, and if the particle motion becomes slow, kinetic energy decreases. But if the motion of the gas molecules is uniform, then variation in the molecules' kinetic energy is zero.
We can say that there is zero increase in gas molecules' kinetic energy when we place the gas cylinder on a van because the gas molecules' motion remains the same with respect to the surface of the cylinder when the van moves with uniform motion. Due to this uniform motion, the gas molecules' velocity remains the same and gives zero increment in the kinetic energy. But if the van moves some acceleration, then the gas particle's motion varies with respect to the cylinder walls; due to the acceleration, the gas molecules' velocity increases and results in greater kinetic energy. We know that the temperature relates directly to kinetic energy, so if kinetic energy increases, the temperature will also increase.
Therefore, when we place a gas cylinder on a van and the van moves, does the kinetic energy of the molecules increase, the kinetic energy of the gas molecules increases, and this temperature also increases if the van moves with some acceleration.
Note: Generally, the gas molecules' kinetic energy varies inside the cylinder of gas because the van's movement does not remain uniform during its running condition. Due to the van's non-uniform motion, the gas molecules' velocity changes and causes the kinetic energy variation.