Log In Contact
Activities
Lecture
30 min.
This lecture introduces the equipartition theorem.
Small Group Activity
This follows Equipartition theorem If the microscopic world was classical, predict \(U_{\text{classical}}(T)\) for the following “toy molecules” in the gas phase. (a) (b) (c) (d) Each ball is a point mass \(m\) with no moment of inertia. The zig-zag lines are springs which are freely jointed at the balls. Vibrational motion of the springs is very small (\(\ll\) the length of the spring). The springs can extend and compress, but cannot twist or flex. The straight lines are rigid rods.
This follows Equipartition theorem
Students sketch the temperature-dependent heat capacity of molecular nitrogen. They apply the equipartition theorem and compute the temperatures at which degrees of freedom “freeze out.”