Work through the list without notes. If you cannot do a statement, follow its link, then come back. Guide = study guide; Practice = practice questions.
Understanding
- I can explain gas pressure as the result of atoms colliding with a surface and changing momentum. (Guide: “Pressure from collisions”; Practice Q6d)
- I can explain why pressure exists at every point inside a gas, not only at the walls. (Guide: “Pressure is everywhere in the gas”; Practice Q3)
- I can describe temperature as a measure of the average kinetic energy of the atoms, and explain why one atom has no temperature. (Guide: “Temperature and the motion of atoms”)
- I can describe the shape of the Maxwell–Boltzmann distribution and what the area under it represents. (Guide: “The Maxwell–Boltzmann distribution”; Practice Q2)
Calculation and skills
- I can find the momentum change of an atom that bounces elastically off a wall, head-on or at an angle to the normal. (Guide: Figure 1, Worked example 1; Practice Q1, Q5)
- I can turn a collision rate and an impulse per collision into a force, then a pressure using P = F⊥/A. (Guide: Worked example 1; Practice Q5, Q6)
- I can calculate K_avg and v_rms from a temperature in kelvin, converting from °C first. (Guide: Worked example 2; Practice Q4, Q7c)
- I can sketch speed distributions for one gas at two temperatures on the same axes, with correct peak positions and heights. (Guide: Figure 2; Practice Q7a)
Reasoning
- I can compare the average kinetic energies and rms speeds of different gases at the same temperature, and justify the comparison. (Guide: Worked example 2; Practice Q7b, Q7c)
- I can explain why speeding up the atoms raises the force on a wall for two separate reasons. (Practice Q6c)
- I can explain why a higher temperature does not make every atom faster. (Guide: “Common misconceptions”; Practice Q7d)
All ticked? Move on to Topic 9.2, The Ideal Gas Law, or return to the course roadmap.