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Related Concept Videos

Shock Waves01:16

Shock Waves

While deriving the Doppler formula for the observed frequency of a sound wave, it is assumed that the speed of sound in the medium is greater than the source's speed through it. When this condition is breached, a shock wave occurs.
When the source's speed approaches the speed of sound, constructive interference between successive wavefronts emitted by the source occurs immediately behind it. Initially, scientists believed that this constructive interference would result in such high pressures...
Distribution of Molecular Speeds01:27

Distribution of Molecular Speeds

The motion of molecules in a gas is random in magnitude and direction for individual molecules, but a gas of many molecules has a predictable distribution of molecular speeds. This predictable distribution of molecular speeds is known as the Maxwell-Boltzmann distribution. The distribution of molecular speeds in liquids is comparable to that of gases but not identical and can help to understand the phenomenon of the boiling and vapor pressure of a liquid. Consider that a molecule requires a...
Velocity and Acceleration of a Wave00:51

Velocity and Acceleration of a Wave

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Molecular Kinetic Energy01:21

Molecular Kinetic Energy

The word "gas" comes from the Flemish word meaning "chaos," first used to describe vapors by the chemist J. B. van Helmont. Consider a container filled with gas, with a continuous and random motion of molecules. During collisions, the velocity component parallel to the wall is unchanged, and the component perpendicular to the wall reverses direction but does not change in magnitude. If the molecule’s velocity changes in the x-direction, then its momentum is changed. During the short time of the...
Maxwell-Boltzmann Distribution: Problem Solving01:20

Maxwell-Boltzmann Distribution: Problem Solving

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Equations of Wave Motion01:02

Equations of Wave Motion

Mathematically, the motion of a wave can be studied using a wavefunction. Consider a string oscillating up and down in simple harmonic motion, having a period T. The wave on the string is sinusoidal and is translated in the positive x-direction as time progresses. Sine is a function of the angle θ, oscillating between +A and −A and repeating every 2π radians. To construct a wave model, the ratio of the angle θ and the position x is considered.

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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jul 11, 2026

An Analog Macroscopic Technique for Studying Molecular Hydrodynamic Processes in Dense Gases and Liquids
11:03

An Analog Macroscopic Technique for Studying Molecular Hydrodynamic Processes in Dense Gases and Liquids

Published on: December 4, 2017

Nonequilibrium molecular motion in a hypersonic shock wave.

G Pham-Van-Diep, D Erwin, E P Muntz

    Science (New York, N.Y.)
    |August 11, 1989
    PubMed
    Summary
    This summary is machine-generated.

    Molecular velocity distributions were measured within hypersonic shock waves, revealing a bimodal character. This observation confirms Mott-Smith

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    Area of Science:

    • Fluid dynamics
    • Aerodynamics
    • Physical chemistry

    Background:

    • Hypersonic flows involve rapid gas property changes across shock waves.
    • Mott-Smith hypothesized a bimodal molecular velocity distribution in shock waves.
    • Direct observation of this bimodal distribution has been lacking.

    Purpose of the Study:

    • To experimentally measure molecular velocities within a hypersonic shock wave.
    • To verify the hypothesized bimodal molecular velocity distribution.
    • To validate computational methods for nonequilibrium flow analysis.

    Main Methods:

    • Experimental measurement of molecular velocities.
    • Analysis of molecular velocity distribution functions.
    • Direct Simulation Monte Carlo (DSMC) technique for computational modeling.

    Main Results:

    • Direct observation of a qualitatively bimodal molecular velocity distribution.
    • The observed distribution is consistent with distributions on either side of the shock.
    • DSMC accurately calculates the molecular velocity distribution function.

    Conclusions:

    • The molecular velocity distribution in hypersonic shock waves is indeed bimodal.
    • Experimental data supports Mott-Smith's hypothesis.
    • DSMC is a reliable method for simulating highly nonequilibrium flows.