Passage III

All known exoplanets (planets in orbit about stars other than the Sun) are too distant from Earth to be studied in detail, so mathematical models have been developed to help predict their properties. Figures 1-3 each show how a different property varies with altitude above the surface of Earth and above the surfaces of 2 hypothetical exoplanets: Planet X and Planet Y. Figure 1 shows how atmospheric temperature, T (in kelvins, K), varies; Figure 2 shows how atmospheric pressure, how P (in atmospheres, atm), varies; and Figure 3 shows how gravitational field strength, g (in newtons per kilogram, N/kg), varies.

19. Based on Figure 1, is the average kinetic energy of the gas particles in Earth's atmosphere more likely greater at an altitude of 40 km or 80 km ?

Answer and Explanation

Your Answer is

Correct Answer is A

Explanation

General knowledge questions.

Kinetic energy of gas particles is directly proportional to temperature.

Looking at the line Earth in Figure 1, when the abscissa is 40 km, the ordinate T is about 280K; and when the abscissa is 80 km, the ordinate T is about 150K. So the temperature at 40 km is higher and the kinetic energy of gas particles is also greater.