Degrees of Freedom & Law of Equipartition
Thermodynamics & KTG
21
JEE Qs
8%
Hard
75
min
Master the accurate determination of degrees of freedom for different molecular geometries and temperature ranges, as it is the foundation for all subsequent calculations (U, C_v, C_p, gamma).
🧮 Key Formulas
✅ Key Points for JEE
- 1Degrees of freedom (f) are the number of independent ways a molecule can possess energy. Each contributes (1/2)kT of energy per molecule or (1/2)RT per mole.
- 2Monatomic gases (He, Ne, Ar): f = 3 (3 translational).
- 3Diatomic gases (O2, N2, H2): f = 5 (3 translational + 2 rotational) at moderate temperatures. At high temperatures, f = 7 (3 translational + 2 rotational + 2 vibrational).
- 4Polyatomic non-linear gases (H2O, NH3): f = 6 (3 translational + 3 rotational) at moderate temperatures.
- 5Each vibrational mode contributes 2 degrees of freedom (one for kinetic energy, one for potential energy) to the total energy.
- 6Internal energy, specific heats (C_v, C_p), and their ratio (gamma) are directly determined by the degrees of freedom (f).
⚠️ Common Mistakes
- ✕Incorrectly identifying the number of degrees of freedom (f) for diatomic or polyatomic molecules, especially by neglecting or miscounting vibrational modes at higher temperatures.
- ✕Confusing the gas constant 'R' (per mole) with Boltzmann constant 'k' (per molecule) in energy calculations.
- ✕Failing to recognize that each vibrational mode contributes *two* degrees of freedom to the energy calculation, one for kinetic and one for potential energy.
📝 Practice Questions
See allQ29.Given below are two statements. One is labelled as Assertion (A) and the other is labelled as Reason (R). Assertion (A) : With the increase in the pressure of an ideal gas, the volume falls off more rapidly in an isothermal process in comparison to the adiabatic process. Reason (R) : In isothermal process, PV = constant, while in adiabatic process PVγ = constant. Here γ is the ratio of specific heats, P is the pressure and V is the volume of the ideal gas. In the light of the above statements, choose the correct answer from the options given below : (1) Both (A) and (R) are true and (R) is the correct (2) Both (A) and (R) are true but (R) is NOT the explanation of (A) correct explanation of (A) (3) (A) is true but (R) is false (4) (A) is false but (R) is true 2025 (29 Jan Shift 2) JEE Main Previous Year Paper
Q40.A cup of coffee cools from 90∘C to 80∘C in t minutes when the room temperature is 20∘C. The time taken by the similar cup of coffee to cool from 80∘C to 60∘C at the same room temperature is : (1) 13 10 t (2) 1013 t (3) 13 5 t (4) 135 t
Q42. A poly-atomic molecule ( CV = 3R, CP = 4R, where R is gas constant) goes from phase space point A (PA = 105 Pa, VA = 4 × 10−6 m3) to point B (PB = 5 × 104 Pa, VB = 6 × 10−6 m3) to point 2025 (29 Jan Shift 2) JEE Main Previous Year Paper C (PC = 104 Pa, VC = 8 × 10−6 m3). A to B is an adiabatic path and B to C is an isothermal path. The net heat absorbed per unit mole by the system is : (1) 500R(ln 3 + ln 4) (2) 450R(ln 4 −ln 3) (3) 500R ln 2 (4) 400R ln 4
Q29.An amount of ice of mass 10−3 kg and temperature −10∘C is transformed to vapour of temperature 110∘C by applying heat. The total amount of work required for this conversion is, (Take, specific heat of ice = 2100Jkg−1 K−1 , specific heat of water = 4180Jkg−1 K−1 , specific heat of steam = 1920Jkg−1 K−1 , Latent heat of ice = 3.35 × 105Jkg−1 and Latent heat of steam = 2.25 × 106 Jkg−1 ) (1) 3043 J (2) 3024 J (3) 3003 J (4) 3022 J
Q41.Two spherical bodies of same materials having radii 0.2 m and 0.8 m are placed in same atmosphere. The temperature of the smaller body is 800 K and temperature of the bigger body is 400 K . If the energy radiated from the smaller body is E, the energy radiated from the bigger body is (assume, effect of the surrounding temperature to be negligible), (1) 16 E (2) E (3) 64 E (4) 256 E
Q49.Three conductors of same length having thermal conductivity k1, k2 and k3 are connected as shown in figure. Area of cross sections of 1st and 2nd conductor are same and for 3rd conductor it is double of the 1st conductor. The temperatures are given in the figure. In steady state condition, the value of θ is _______ ∘C. (Given : k1 = 60Js−1 m−1 K−1, k2 = 120Js−1 m−1 K−1, k3 = 135Js−1 m−1 K−1 ) ∣ ∣∣ 2025 (22 Jan Shift 1) JEE Main Previous Year Paper
NCERT Chapters
- Class 11 Physics Ch 13: Kinetic Theory