question_answer

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:

                The specific heat of a gas at constant volume is equal to \[\frac{f}{2}\]R. For monoatomic gases, \[f=3,\] so \[{{C}_{V}}=\frac{3}{2}R.\] For diatomic gases,    \[f=5,\]so \[{{C}_{V}}=\frac{5}{2}R.\] Hence the specific heat for monoatomic gas is less than that for a diatomic gas.