The Kinetic Molecular Theory: Why Gases Behave The Way They Do

Improved Essays
The Kinetic Molecular Theory explains why gases behave the way they do. It explains how gas particles are in constant motion and create collisions that results in pressure. The theory is split up into four different postulates. Number one explains how gases are made up of tiny particles. To prove that those particles take up space, postulate #2 tells us that the particles collide with each other and those collisions make pressure. Pressure can either expand or shrink a flexible container, depending on how many particles are in that container. If there are more particles then more collisions will happen creating more pressure. If there are less particles, then there are less collisions resulting in less pressure. Postulate #3 explains in …show more content…
For example, a blown up balloon can either expand or shrinks depending on the collisions/pressure inside. When the temperature gets higher the particles move faster because they have more kinetic energy which causes more collisions leading into more pressure expanding on the balloon. Same goes for a cooler temperature, but the opposite happens, the particles move slower which causes less collisions, leading to less pressure pushing against the balloon. Gases have a property of pressure. This can be proven by the Kinetic Molecular Theory. Gases are consisted of particles, those particles have collisions with each other (2) and collisions create pressure (2). For example, we did a lab in class that had to deal with pressure. The lab was filling a test tube with water and putting it upside down with a piece of plastic covering the opening. The results were that the plastic stayed and the water did not flow out. This is because there is 1 atm of pressure outside the tube. Meaning, there are more collisions outside the test tube that are pushing against the plastic with the created pressure(2). The water can’t flow out because there is no pressure inside the test tube pushing down on the plastic. There is only pressure pushing up the plastic. Gas also has a property of

Related Documents

  • Improved Essays

    Bottle Rocket Lab Report

    • 747 Words
    • 3 Pages

    When water is added to the bottle, it also adds compacted air. In Newton’s third law, it mentions that for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. That is exactly what happened the rocket during the lab. The rocket and the compressed air pushed the water down, and once the rocket was release, Newton’s third law came into play, and caused the water to push back up, launching the rocket up into the air. The rocket Twix Kix was tested with the starting fuel of eight ounces.…

    • 747 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    John Dalton was a chemist born in Eaglesfield, England on September 6, 1766. His father was a weaver who owned a house and small bit of land. As for religion, both his parents were Quakers. Though they were Christians, the highly regarded Church of England saw the people in the religion as nonconformists. Resulting from this, Dalton’s education was restricted to “dissenting places of education” (Famous Scientists).…

    • 699 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Internal energy is placed in both atoms and molecules, which makes the atoms and molecules move around. Once the speed of energy changes the molecules’ energy will rise as well (Sullivan, 2007). When temperature increases in the molecules, they begin to move faster, and when the temperature decreases, the molecules move more slowly. They are what hold all energy, which creates the potential heat in an object. The amount of kinetic energy reflects the temperature of the particles that make up a material (Nagel, 2007).…

    • 1511 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Ooblek Lab Report

    • 456 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Ooblek Activity Goal: Use the RACE method in writing the conclusion of a scientific lab report by examining the amazing properties of a substance called Ooblek. The RACE method consists of restating the problem, prompt or assignment, answering the problem, prompt, or argument by making a claim, citing the evidence from the text or lab that supports or disputes your answer, (using qualitative or quantitative observations) and explaining and elaborating your answer using the evidence cited and describing what your evidence revealed/relating it to the real world. Problem: Three liquids (water, glue, borax) are mixed together in a dixie cup. Will the resulting substance be a solid, liquid, or gas? In addition, upon creating the substance did a chemical or physical change occur?…

    • 456 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Buddy Lab Report

    • 795 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Instructions: Buddy Lab - Physical and Chemical Change You’ve learned a lot about matter lately and now is your chance to teach someone younger about what you know. Your job is to design a lab that will help a primary student experiment and understand what physical and chemical changes are. Follow the guiding questions below to help you create your lab. Question:…

    • 795 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    Title: Ecological Interactions of Living Organisms in Beaver Creek Statement of the Problem: How do the organisms in Beaver Creek interact with the biotic and abiotic portions of the ecosystem? The sample was taken from Beaver Creek (a tributary of Tookany Creek) in Glenside, Montgomery County, PA. The pH of the creek was 5.5, and the stream velocity was detectable (greater or equal to walking speed). In the area of collection, the stream width was one meter and the depth was 14 cm.…

    • 944 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Used beaker tongs to place beaker back on hot plate and heated between 80 and 90 degrees Celsius. Flask placed into boiling-water bath and readings were taken. Removed flask and temperature probe and stopped data collection. Results: Pressure (kPa)…

    • 839 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Is velocity the reason why a curveball drops? Statistics show that the velocity of a ball does not cause the curveball to drop. There are other variables involved like air pressure, rotation of the ball, and aerodynamics. These are very important factors when a baseball is thrown. A Big part of velocity is the air pressure, this is because of a separate topic called the Magnus Effect - a force exerted on a rapidly spinning cylinder or sphere moving through air in a direction at an angle to the axis of spin.…

    • 1399 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    The idea of atoms neatly explained the motion as particles were buffeted by the movement of atoms in the liquid. Soon after, the transmutation theory of radiation, developed by Rutherford, introduced more spontaneous phenomenon. The classical world was at a loss, solid cold science was suddenly faced with probabilistic and inconsistent…

    • 965 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Soda Experiment

    • 389 Words
    • 2 Pages

    In our Chemistry class, we the students had performed an experiment that involves with a soda can, being crushed. Going step by step, our group simply placed small amounts of water into the soda can. Then we placed the soda can on a hot surface which allowed the water to boil. Once the water was boiling, our group witnessed the steam coming out from the opening on top of the soda can and one of us picked up the soda can with beaker tongs. We quickly submerged it into cold water and the instant temperature change caused the soda can to compress instantly.…

    • 389 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Great Essays

    Molar Volume of a Gas Lab The purpose of the lab was to do an experiment to determine the molar volume of hydrogen gas at standard temperature and pressure, or STP. To start the experiment, a beaker was filled with water and then a cage was created with a copper wire. A piece of magnesium was cut and placed inside the cage in order to keep the reaction going until all of the magnesium reacted with the hydrochloric acid. The eudiometer tube was filled with 15 mL of hydrochloric acid and water and then plugged with a one-hole rubber stopper that held the cage in place, ensuring that the magnesium would react with the excess hydrochloric acid.…

    • 1741 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Great Essays
  • Great Essays

    Purpose The purpose of this experiment was to collect three different fractions of a mixture of hexane and toluene at differing temperatures. From there, the fractions would be measured via gas chromatography to discover the percent composition of hexane and toluene in each fraction with the ultimate goal of having one fraction with mostly hexane, one with mostly toluene, and one with an even mixture of the two. Along with this, there is also the goal of redistilling one of the fractions in order to further reduce impurities by leaving the fraction with only one of the two molecular compounds.…

    • 1366 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Great Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Air Pressure In Football

    • 1039 Words
    • 4 Pages

    “Football,” Americas favorite sport and past time has for many years captured the attention of millions in the United States. Although teams compete in the most inclement frigid weather, it is a sport that has played an intricate role in uniting families as well as communities in friendly banter, while taking one’s mind off the pressures that may engulf them on a daily basis. And even though this holds true, occasionally, during the season one will experience an upset or a scandal that will rock the nation. The world has bore witness to these types of upsets where the environment; the temperature, had a major effect on the outcome of the game and the teams who were the victors regardless. Whether an upset like the -13 °F “Ice Bowl’ of 1967,…

    • 1039 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Great Essays

    • The temperature in the room may have altered. A dependent variable is a variable you do not change during an experiment. Instead, it changes as a result of other changes you make.…

    • 2652 Words
    • 11 Pages
    Great Essays