Calculate the degree of freedom of a diatomic gas.

Vedclass pdf generator app on play store
Vedclass iOS app on app store
(N/A) diatomic gas molecule like $O_{2}$,$N_{2}$,$H_{2}$,or $CO$ has three translational degrees of freedom corresponding to motion along the $x$,$y$,and $z$ axes.
$E_{t} = \langle \frac{1}{2} m v_{x}^{2} \rangle + \langle \frac{1}{2} m v_{y}^{2} \rangle + \langle \frac{1}{2} m v_{z}^{2} \rangle$
Additionally,it possesses two $(2)$ rotational degrees of freedom,as shown in the diagram. For a diatomic molecule,there are two independent rotational motions about axes perpendicular to the interatomic axis.
Let $\omega_{1}$ and $\omega_{2}$ be the angular speeds about axes $1$ and $2$,and $I_{1}$ and $I_{2}$ be the moments of inertia about these axes.
The total energy of the molecule is the sum of translational and rotational kinetic energy $(KE)$:
$E = E_{t} + E_{r}$
$E = \langle \frac{1}{2} m v_{x}^{2} \rangle + \langle \frac{1}{2} m v_{y}^{2} \rangle + \langle \frac{1}{2} m v_{z}^{2} \rangle + \langle \frac{1}{2} I_{1} \omega_{1}^{2} \rangle + \langle \frac{1}{2} I_{2} \omega_{2}^{2} \rangle$
Here,there are $3$ terms for translational $KE$ and $2$ terms for rotational $KE$,resulting in a total of $5$ degrees of freedom at room temperature.
At high temperatures,these molecules also exhibit a vibrational mode. The atoms oscillate along the interatomic axis like a one-dimensional harmonic oscillator,contributing two additional degrees of freedom (one for kinetic energy and one for potential energy),making the total $7$ degrees of freedom.

Explore More

Similar Questions

When the temperature of a gas is increased,does the degree of freedom change?

For an ideal gas,$R = \frac{2}{3} C_v$. This suggests that the gas consists of molecules which are: $[R = \text{universal gas constant}]$

The number of rotational degrees of freedom of a monatomic molecule is

For a gas,$\gamma = 7/5$. The gas may probably be

At $STP$,the speed of a sound wave in a gas is $330 \ m/s$ and the density of the gas is $1.3 \ kg/m^3$. Calculate the degrees of freedom $(f)$ of the gas.

Vedclass Products

For Students

Vedclass Test Series

Mock tests in real JEE/NEET style with performance analysis. 5-day free trial.

Start Free Trial
For Teachers

Exam Paper Generator

Generate Set A/B/C/D exam papers from 7.5L+ questions in 2 minutes. 3 chapters free.

Try Free
For Institutes

Online Exam Module

Live online exams with unlimited students, 360° analytics & white-label branding.

See Demo