Question

What is the probability of a molecule moving at a speed c in three dimensions?

a) 0.25
b) 0.33
c) 0.50
d) 1.00

Answer 1

The probability of a molecule moving at a specific speed c in three dimensions is not a fixed value like the options provided but is a range within a distribution, such as the Maxwell-Boltzmann distribution.

Step-by-step explanation:

The probability of a molecule moving at a specific speed c in three dimensions cannot be exactly determined as a single value because, according to the molecular speed distribution function, the probability that a molecule will have exactly a given speed is 0. Instead speed is represented as a range within a distribution such as the Maxwell-Boltzmann distribution for gases which takes into account all possible speeds and provides a probability for a molecule to have a speed within a certain interval.

For a given distribution we may find probabilities for a molecule to be within a range of speeds near c but not specifically at c. The information provided in the reference does not offer enough context to calculate the precise probability, but tells us that a singular value such as 0.25, 0.33, 0.50, or 1.00 is not applicable as probabilities are tied to continuous ranges rather than exact values.