The Kinetic Theory of Gases: Feynman's Physics Explained
A gas is a vast swarm of tiny molecules in constant, random motion, and its properties follow from that picture. Pressure on the container walls is just the endless drumbeat of molecules striking them. Temperature is nothing more than a measure of the average kinetic energy of a molecule. The famous ideal gas law follows directly from applying Newton's laws to this microscopic chaos.
The big idea
Temperature is just the average energy of jiggling molecules.
Think about it
Why does squeezing a gas into a smaller space — or heating it — raise its pressure?
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