JEE Advanced levelOne or more correct optionsDifficulty 3 of 3ig163
Which of the following statements about the Maxwell-Boltzmann distribution of molecular speeds are correct?
AThe distribution curve starts from the origin and approaches zero asymptotically at high speeds
BAt a given temperature, a heavier gas has a narrower distribution with a lower most probable speed
CThe area under the curve between two speeds gives the fraction of molecules with speeds in that range
DThe average speed is greater than the rms speed
Answer: A, B, C
The Maxwell curve has these standard features: zero at zero speed and a long high-speed tail (A); ump=2RT/M falls with M and the curve is sharper (B); area gives fraction (C). The order is urms>uav>ump, so (D) is wrong.