At 25°C,the average speed of a hydrogen molecule is 1.92 × 10³ m/s.What is the average speed of a nitrogen molecule at the same temperature?

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The average speed of a molecule is directly proportional to the square root of its mass, and inversely proportional to the square root of its molar mass. The molar mass of hydrogen is 2 g/mol while the molar mass of nitrogen is 28 g/mol. Therefore, the ratio of their square roots is 2/5.656 = 0.3536. Taking the square root of the average speed of hydrogen gives us the average speed of nitrogen: sqrt(1.92 × 10^3 m/s) x 0.3536 = 515 m/s.

At 25°C,the Average Speed of a Hydrogen Molecule Is 1