Question

Using your understanding of the cause and effect relationship between volume and temperature, explain what happens to the motion of the particles and the kinetic energy of the particles inside a basketball after it has been left out in the cold. Use a model to support your answer.

Answer 1

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Explanation:

Temperature is defined as a measure of the average kinetic energy of the molecules of a body. A very important deduction from the kinetic theory of gases is that temperature is proportional to the kinetic energy of gas molecules.

A basketball is filled with gas particles. The higher the temperature of the surrounding, the greater the kinetic energy of the gas particles inside the basketball and the faster their motion and vice versa.

Hence, if a basketball is left in the cold, the kinetic energy of the gas particles in it will decrease and the particles will move very slowly at low velocities.