alleryStart learning →The distribution of molecular speeds in a gas sample is known by which name?
AThe Graham speed curve
BThe Dalton speed curve
CThe Avogadro speed curve
DThe Maxwell-Boltzmann curve
Answer & Solution
Correct answer: D. The Maxwell-Boltzmann curve
1. Individual molecules in a gas sample move at widely varying speeds.
2. Because there are so many molecules and so many collisions, the spread of speeds settles into a fixed shape.
3. That shape is the Maxwell-Boltzmann distribution, and it shows how many molecules hold each speed.
4. Very few molecules sit at the very low or very high extremes, and the peak marks the most probable speed.
_Source: OpenStax Chemistry (CC BY 4.0), Ch 9 "Gases", section 9.5 The Kinetic-Molecular Theory_
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