IGCSE Physics / Solids, liquids and gases

Temperature and the speed of gas molecules

Edexcel International GCSE Physics (4PH1), chapter 19: Solids, liquids and gases, specification point 5.18, 5.19. Part of the full course.

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Heating transfers energy to gas molecules, increasing their kinetic energy and average speed. Their average kinetic energy is proportional to the gas temperature measured in kelvin, so temperatures must be converted to kelvin before comparing them.

More lessons in Solids, liquids and gases

• Particles in solids, liquids and gases
• Changes of state: melting, evaporating and boiling
• Practical: a temperature-time graph for a change of state
• Specific heat capacity
• Practical: measuring specific heat capacity
• Gas pressure and molecules
• Absolute zero and the Kelvin scale
• Pressure and temperature of a gas
• Pressure and volume of a gas