Question

The temperature of a gas is measure of}

• A. the average kinetic energy of gas molecules.
• B. the average potential energy of gas molecules.
• C. the average distance between the molecules of a gas
• D. the size of the molecules of a gas

Hint:

Temperature is a macroscopic property that reflects the average translational kinetic energy of molecules.

Answer 1

The Correct Option is A

textbf{Step 1:} Recall the core principle of the kinetic molecular theory of gases. textbf{Step 2:} According to this theory, the absolute temperature $T$ of an ideal gas is directly proportional to the average kinetic energy of its molecules: \[ \overline{KE} = \frac{3}{2} k_B T \] textbf{Step 3:} Therefore, as temperature increases, the average speed and kinetic energy of the molecules increase. This makes temperature a macroscopic measure of microscopic kinetic energy.