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Topic: Kinetic energy of solids, liquids, and gases at the same temperature  (Read 27768 times)

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Offline LHM

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Temperature is defined as the average kinetic energy, but gases have more kinetic energy than liquids, which have more kinetic energy than solids. So if you have a solid, liquid, and gas at the same temperature, are they going to have the same kinetic energy because they're at the same temperature, or will the gas still have the most kinetic energy?

Online Borek

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Re: Kinetic energy of solids, liquids, and gases at the same temperature
« Reply #1 on: January 17, 2011, 02:40:14 PM »
I have a cup of a hot tea here, standing on the desk. As far as I can tell, its kinetic energy is zero.
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Offline opti384

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Re: Kinetic energy of solids, liquids, and gases at the same temperature
« Reply #2 on: January 17, 2011, 10:44:03 PM »
I have a cup of a hot tea here, standing on the desk. As far as I can tell, its kinetic energy is zero.

But couldn't the tea molecules have kinetic energy since they are moving and vibrating by themselves?

Offline Vidya

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Re: Kinetic energy of solids, liquids, and gases at the same temperature
« Reply #3 on: January 18, 2011, 01:56:47 AM »
Hi
molecules are in motion in all the three states
max - in gases
minimum in solids (vibrational  ,rotational )
at the same temp
 K.E of the gaseous molecules is max

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Re: Kinetic energy of solids, liquids, and gases at the same temperature
« Reply #4 on: January 18, 2011, 04:24:53 AM »
Original question did not mention molecules  :P

if you have a solid, liquid, and gas at the same temperature, are they going to have the same kinetic energy
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Offline RandoFlyer

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Re: Kinetic energy of solids, liquids, and gases at the same temperature
« Reply #5 on: January 21, 2011, 11:09:12 AM »
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Temperatures#Foundation

The formula Ek=1/2kT may help answer your question

Offline LHM

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Re: Kinetic energy of solids, liquids, and gases at the same temperature
« Reply #6 on: February 19, 2011, 08:53:35 PM »
Original question did not mention molecules  :P

if you have a solid, liquid, and gas at the same temperature, are they going to have the same kinetic energy

I'm sorry but I'm still slightly confused about this entire thing especially after this: http://www.chemicalforums.com/index.php?topic=46364.msg175807#msg175807

So to clarify, is it that the molecules have the same kinetic energy then, but the actual gas overall has more kinetic energy than the liquid or solid because the molecules in a gas are more spaced apart?

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