Two tanks (E & F) containing an equal number of moles of an ideal gas are at equ

Question

Two tanks (E & F) containing an equal number of moles of an ideal gas are at equal temperatures. The volume of tank F is greater than the volume of tank E. Is the average speed of the particles in tank E greater than, less than, or equal to the average speed of the particles in tank F? Explain your reasoning. .....I at first said the following... "The average speed of particles in tank E are greater than the to the average speed of particles in tank F because the molecules in tank E have less space to move around. The particles are hitting the walls quicker than would particles in more volume. The smaller space also creates a higher pressure from the molecules bouncing of the walls quicker, so tank E particles would overall have a faster average speed." ....BUT now I am thinking that they are the same speed but the particles in tank E just hit the wall more fequently and change direction more, not that they have a greater speed...

Explanation / Answer

Boyle's Law

Boyle’s law states that for the pressure and volume of a gas, when one value increases the other decreases, as long as temperature and number of moles remain constant. Boyle's law is summarized by the equation

PV=k

where

The value of k always stays the same so that P and V vary appropriately. For example, if pressure increases, k must remains constant and thus volume will decrease. This is consistent with the predictions of Boyle's law.

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