molecular travel

Question

Methane, CH4, and propane, C3H8, are two components of the natural gas burned in Bunsen burners. If a methane molecule travels at 675 m/s from a gas jet, how fast does the propane molecule travel? m/s (nearest whole number)

Answer 1

These two type of molecules have same average energy, meaning mv^/2, in the problem ...

 

if the mass of methane is 12+4=16 units, then propane is having mass of 3*12+8=44 units

 

the speed of propane molecule would be,

 

 

V^2=675^2*16/44=165682  and V=407 (m/s)

 

check the arithmetic