Question

The average kinetic energy of water molecules is greatest in which of these samples? A) 100 g of water at45°C 8) 10 g of water at 55°C C) 10 g of water at 35°C D) l00 g of water at 25°C

Answer 1

Answer:

10 g of water at $55^oC$

Explanation:

According to the kinetic molecular theory, the kinetic energy of a particle depends only on temperature. This is described by the following equation: $E_k = \frac{3}{2} kT$. Notice that the kinetic energy term is directly proportional to the absolute temperature.

The average kinetic energy is independent of mass, meaning when we examine each of these samples, we are only looking for a sample that has the greatest temperature. Out of all the samples, the sample at $55^oC$ is at the highest temperature which implies it has the greatest average kinetic energy.