Should the specific heat of monoatomic gas be less than, equal to or g

1.	Should the specific heat of monoatomic gas be less than, equal to or greater than that of a diatomic gas at room temperature? Justify your answer.
Answer» Specific heat of a gas at constant volume is equal to f/2R. For monoatomic gases f = 3 so C_v = 3/2 R. For diatomic gases f = 5 so C_v = 5/2 R. Hence the specific heat for monoatomic gas is less than that for a diatomic gas.

Should the specific heat of monoatomic gas be less than, equal to or greater than that of a diatomic gas at room temperature? Justify your answer.

Answer»

Specific heat of a gas at constant volume is equal to f/2R.

For monoatomic gases f = 3 so C_v = 3/2 R.

For diatomic gases f = 5 so C_v = 5/2 R.

Hence the specific heat for monoatomic gas is less than that for a diatomic gas.