A plot of the Maxwell distribution for the same gas against temperature shows that
A) at high temperatures, most molecules have speeds close to their average speed.
B) as the temperature increases, a high proportion of molecules have very slow speeds.
C) as the temperature decreases, the spread of speeds widens.
D) as the temperature decreases, a high proportion of molecules have very high speeds.
E) at low temperatures, most molecules have speeds close to their average speed.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

At low temperatures, the Maxwell distribution becomes narrower and peaks, indicating that most molecules have speeds close to the average speed. This is because thermal energy is lower, so there's less variation in molecular speeds.

A Plot of the Maxwell Distribution for the Same Gas