Passage VI

For gas atoms in a state of random motion, the mean free path, λ, is the average distance a gas atom will travel between collisions with other gas atoms. This distance depends upon the diameter of the gas atom, d, the volume of the gas, V, and the number of atoms of the gas, N. Table 1 lists the name, symbol, and value of d (in nanometers, nm) for each of 4 gases. Figure 1 shows, for each gas, at 293 kelvins (K), how λ (in nm) varies with V (in liters, L) in a sample with N = 6 x 1023 atoms of the gas. Figure 2 shows, for each gas, at 293 K, how λ varies with N in a sample with V = 25 L.

39. The collision frequency is defined as the number of collisions between gas atoms per second. Consider the 5 L and 25 L samples represented in Figure 1. Assuming the atoms Xe have the same average speed in both samples, in which sample would the collision frequency more likely be higher?

Answer and Explanation

Your Answer is

Correct Answer is A

Explanation

The condition has been given in the question stem that the motion speed of atoms is the same;

From figure 1, it can be seen that the smaller the volume V of the abscissa, the smaller the ordinate λ (that is, the distance required for the collision) distance) is shorter, so the frequency of collisions should be higher. So the sample frequency of 5 L is high