KE theory of gases formulas

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jillzhou

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So I'm kinda confused regarding two formulas I came across while reviewing my notes.
if the root mean square (gas velocity) is denoted as: sqrt of 3RT/mass or (3RT/mass)^1/2, then what does 3/2kT signify? Is the latter formula only applied to ideal gases?? :confused:

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So I'm kinda confused regarding two formulas I came across while reviewing my notes.
if the root mean square (gas velocity) is denoted as: sqrt of 3RT/mass or (3RT/mass)^1/2, then what does 3/2kT signify? Is the latter formula only applied to ideal gases?? :confused:

The second formula gives you the average KINETIC ENERGY of an ideal gas. It's a completely different formula for calculating a completely different quantity.
 
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