PC2135 Lecturer: Liujun Zou TA: Jiulin Tang

Solution to assignment 1 of Thermodynamics and Statistical Mechanics1

(Due on August 23 2024 at 2pm. Submit your solution to Canvas as a PDF file.)

Problem 1 (10 points). In class, we used a microscopic model of an ideal gas to derive the relation
between the pressure and the average kinetic energy of an ideal gas made of a single type of molecules with
mass m, and we then derived the relation between the temperature and the averaged kinetic energy of the
molecules in an ideal gas. In this problem, we will discuss ideal gases made of multiple types of molecules
with different masses. Note that many important examples, such as air, are indeed gases made of multiple
types of molecules.
Consider a gas in a container made of n types of non-interacting classical particles, and the masses of these
particles are m1 , m2 , m3 , · · · , mn . Suppose the gas is put in a container with geometric dimensions given
by Fig. 1. We will assume that all collisions between the gas particles and the walls of the container are
elastic, and the walls of the container are smooth.

Figure 1: The container has a horizontal length of Lx , and the area of the right vertical wall of this container is
A, so that the volume of the container is V = Lx A. A single gas particle is shown here.

(1) (3 points) Let us start with a single particle of the i-th type, which has a mass mi . Suppose the
x-component of its velocity is vi,x . What is the pressure due to this single particle?
(2) (2 points) Suppose the averaged vx2 for the i-th type of particles is vi,x
2 . What is the averaged kinetic

energy of a single particle of the i-th type?

(3) (2 points) Suppose the number of the i-th type particle is Ni . What is the total pressure of this ideal
gas?
(4) (3 points) From more fundamental statistical mechanics, it is known that the averaged kinetic energy
of each type of particle is 32 kT , which is independent of the type. Show that the ideal gas law P V = N kT
still holds, where N = N1 + N2 + · · · + Nn .

Solution:
2Lx
(1) The particle will collide with the left/right wall once during a time interval ∆ti = vi,x . With the
momentum conservation, we have
mi ∆vi = F̄i ∆ti (1)
1 Please let the TA know if there is any mistake in the solution by sending an email to e0983505@[Link]. Also, although only

one solution is presented here, all valid but different solutions will be accepted.

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PC2135 Lecturer: Liujun Zou TA: Jiulin Tang

, where |∆vi | = 2vi,x due to the elastic collision.

For the pressure on left/right wall,
|F̄i |
p0 = (2)
A
2
mi vi,x
p0 = (3)
V
2 = v 2 = v 2 . Thus, the average kinetic energy
(2) For an isotropic gas molecule, we have vi,x i,y i,z

1 3
Ēki = mi vi2 = mi vi,x
2 (4)
2 2
(3) The total pressure pi from the i-type gas is
Ni 2 2
X mi vi,j,x Ni mi vi,x
pi = = (5)
j
V V

(4) Combining the results of (2) and (3), we have

3 pi V
Ēki = (6)
2 Ni

We also have Ēki = 23 kB T , P =

P P
i pi and N = i Ni . Thus,

P V = N kB T (7)

Problem 2 (10 points). In this problem, we will explore an interesting application of the ideal gas law
to a hot air balloon.
(1) (6 points) Suppose the pressure of the air inside the balloon is the same as outside. Suppose the average
temperature of air inside balloon is Tb , while that outside is Tair . Find the mass of air inside the balloon
needed to lift a total mass M , which includes both the balloon and payload but excludes the mass of the
air inside the balloon (so you have to include the mass of the air inside the balloon separately!).
(2) (4 points) Suppose the mass density of air is ρair = 1.225kg/m3 , the volume of the balloon is V = 1000m3
and Tair = 300K. If M = 500kg, what is the temperature inside the balloon, Tb , needed to lift itself?
Solution:
(1) For the force analysis of the hot air balloon, we have

(M + mb )g = ρair,o gVb (8)

, where mb is the mass of air inside the balloon, ρair,o is the mass density of air outside the balloon, and Vb
is the volume of the balloon.
From the pressure balance and the ideal gas law for the air inside/outside the balloon,

Pi = Po (9)

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PC2135 Lecturer: Liujun Zou TA: Jiulin Tang

ρi/o
Pi/o = kB Ti/o (10)
m0
We have
Tair
ρair,i = ρair,o (11)
Tb
Combining Eq.(8) and Eq.(11), we get
Tair
mb = M (12)
Tb − Tair
(2) From Eq.(12), we have
Tair Tair
mb = ρair Vb = M (13)
Tb Tb − Tair
Then,
ρair Vb
Tb = Tair ≈ 506.90K (14)
ρair Vb − M

Problem 3 (10 points). In this problem, you will derive the density distribution of air in the earth’s
gravitational field.
(1) (4 points) Use force balance on a thin horizontal slab of air (with thickness dz) to relate the drop in
pressure dP/dz to ρ, the mass density of the air (taking the gravitational acceleration to be g). Then,
assuming air is an ideal gas made of molecules with average mass m, show that the pressure obeys the
differential equation:

dP mg
=− P (15)
dz kT
(2) (3 points) Further assuming that the atmosphere is in thermal equilibrium at a uniform temperature T ,
find the density profile of air, n(z), as a function of the height z?
(3) (3 points) Calculate the average molecular mass of air m, given that it is a mixture of nitrogen N2 ,
oxygen O2 and argon in the ratio 78 : 21 : 1 in terms of particle numbers. Suppose the pressure at sea level
is P (z = 0) = 105 Pa, and the temperature is T = 23◦ C at all heights. What is the density of air at sea
level? Estimate the density of air at the top of mount Everest, whose height is around 9000m.
Solution:
(1) For a thin horizontal slab of air with in volume V = A · dz , we have

P (z)A − P (z + dz)A = ρair V g (16)

With P (z + dz) = P (z) + P ′ (z)dz + o(dz 2 ), we can simplify Eq.(16) and get

dP
P ′ (z) = = −ρair g (17)
dz
For ρair , with the ideal gas law P V0 = N kB T , m = ρair V0 (here we take N = 1 as an one particle picture),
we have
mP
ρair = (18)
kB T

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PC2135 Lecturer: Liujun Zou TA: Jiulin Tang

dP mg
=− P (19)
dz kB T
(2) For the density profile of air n(z),
N P
n(z) ≡ = (20)
V kB T
By solving Eq.(19),
− kmgz
P (z) = P0 e B T
, P0 = P (z = 0) (21)
Thus,
P0 − kmgzT
n(z) = e B (22)
kB T

(3) The molecular mass we need: mN2 = 28amu, mO2 = 32amu, mAr = 40amu, 1amu ≈ 1.661 × 10−27 kg.
The average molecular mass of air m = 0.78mN2 + 0.21mO2 + 0.01mAr ≈ 28.960amu ≈ 4.807 × 10−26 kg.
For the density of air at sea level n0 ,
P0
n0 = ≈ 2.447 × 1025 m−3 (23)
kB T

For the density of air at the top of mount Everest n(z = 9000),

− kmgz
n(z = 9000) = n0 e TB ≈ 8.661 × 1024 m−3 (24)