Question map
For an ideal gas, which one of the following statements does not hold true?
Explanation
According to the Kinetic Molecular Theory of ideal gases, the statement that the speed of all gas molecules is the same is false. In any gas sample at a given temperature, individual molecules possess widely varying speeds due to constant random collisions. This distribution of molecular speeds is mathematically described by the Maxwell-Boltzmann distribution, which shows that while the average speed remains constant at a fixed temperature, the actual speeds of individual molecules span a wide range. Conversely, other postulates of an ideal gas hold that intermolecular forces (attractive and repulsive) are neglected, meaning there is no interactive force between molecules. Consequently, because these forces are absent, the potential energy of the gas molecules is considered zero or neglected, and the internal energy consists entirely of kinetic energy.