Question

Which of the following is an incorrect statement of kinetic molecular theory?

A) Gas particles are in constant random motion.
B) Collisions between gas particles are perfectly elastic.
C) Gas particles have significant attractive forces between them.
D) The temperature of a gas is directly proportional to its kinetic energy.

Answer 1

The incorrect statement of kinetic molecular theory is that 'Gas particles have significant attractive forces between them,' as this contradicts the theory's assumption that gas particles do not exert significant forces on each other.

Step-by-step explanation:

The student asked which statement of kinetic molecular theory is incorrect. The kinetic molecular theory makes several assumptions about the behavior of ideal gases, including:

• Gas particles are in constant random motion.
• Collisions between gas particles are perfectly elastic.
• Gas particles have significant attractive forces between them.
• The temperature of a gas is directly proportional to its kinetic energy.

From these assumptions, we can identify that the incorrect statement is "Gas particles have significant attractive forces between them." This is contrary to the kinetic molecular theory, which suggests that in an ideal gas, the particles do not exert significant attractive or repulsive forces on each other.