TUTORIAL: THERMAL PHYSICS & STATISTICAL PHYSICS

SEM-II (Jan-Jun15) prepared by P Mandal, K Kaur, A Dhyani, G Anand

1. Calculate the fraction oxygen gas molecules within 1% of the most probable speed at
NTP(T=298K, 1atm). What is the effect of changing the temperature to 5000C or replacing
the oxygen gas by hydrogen gas? Ans: 0.008, no effect of changing the temperature
or replacing oxygen gas to hydrogen gas.

2. Find the ratio of the root mean square velocity to average velocity for an assembly of two
molecules, one with a speed of 3m/s and the other with a speed of 5m/s? Ans: 1.031

3. At what temperature will the average speed of molecules of hydrogen gas doubles the speed
of molecules of oxygen gas at 300K. Ans:75K

4. Show that the de Broglie wavelength of an oxygen molecule in thermal equilibrium in the
atmosphere at 20 C is smaller than its diameter of about 4x10-10 m? Ans: =2.61X10-11m

5. A flux of 1012 neutrons/m2 emerges each second from a port in a nuclear reactor. If these
neurons have Maxwell Boltzmann energy distribution corresponding to T=300 K calculate
the density of neutrons in the beam? Ans: 3.6X108 neutrons/m3

6. Find the probability that the speed of oxygen molecules lies between 100 and 101 m/s at
300K. Ans: 3.9 X10-4

7. How many independent standing waves with wavelengths between 9.5 and 10.5mm can
occur in a cubical cavity 1m on a side? How many with wavelengths between 99.5 and
100.5mm? [Hint: g() d =8L3 d = 8L3 d / 4 ]. Ans: 2.5X106; 2.5X102

8. At what rate does radiation escape from a hole 10cm2 in area in the wall of a furnace whose
interior is at 700C? Ans: 51W

9. The sun mass is 2.0x1030 kg, its radius is 7.0x108m and its surface temperature is 5.8x103K.
How many years are needed for the sun to lose 1.0 percent of its mass by radiation?
Ans: ~ 14X1010 yrs.

10. An object is at a temperature of 400C. At what temperature would it radiate energy twice
as fast? Ans: 527C

11. Find the surface area of a black body that radiates 1.00 kW when its temperature is 5000C.
If the blackbody is a sphere what is its radius? Ans: 494cm2, 6.27cm

12. A gas cloud in our galaxy emits radiation at a rate of 1.0x10 27W. The radiation has its
maximum intensity at a wavelength of 10. If the cloud is spherical and radiates like a
blackbody find its surface temperature and its diameter? Ans: 290 K; 8.9X1011 m

13. The Fermi energy in silver is 5.51eV. What is the average energy of the free electrons in
silver at 0 K? What temperature is necessary for the average molecular energy in an ideal
gas to have this value? What is the speed of an electron with this energy?

Ans: 3.31eV; 2.56X104K; 1.08X106m/s

14. Find the number of electron states per electron volt at = /2 in a 1.00g sample of
copper (atomic mass=63.55) at 0K. Are we justified in considering the electron energy
distribution as continuous in a metal? Ans: 1.43 X 1021 states/eV , yes

15. The density of potassium (atomic mass=39) is 860kg/m3. Calculate the Fermi energy at 0K.

Ans: ~2.04eV

16. Consider silver in the metallic state with one free electron per atom. Calculate the fermi
energy. Density of silver is 10.5 gm/cc and atomic weight is 108. Ans: 8.8 X 10-19J

17. Estimate the temperature at which there is 1% probability that a state with energy 0.5eV
above the Fermi energy, will be occupied by an electron. Ans: ~1262K

18. Assume that in tungsten having 19.3gm/cc and 183.8 atomic weight, there are two free
electrons per atom. Calculate the electron density and the corresponding Fermi energy.

Ans: 9.2 eV, 1.26X1023 electrons/cc

19. Find the Fermi energy of sodium at absolute zero. Atomic radius of Na is 1.86. [Hint: Na
has BCC structure]. Ans: 4.99X10-19 J