Related Experiment Video
Updated: Oct 26, 2026

11:21
Cooling an Optically Trapped Ultracold Fermi Gas by Periodical Driving
Published on: March 30, 2017
Kinetic theory of the evaporative cooling of a trapped gas
Abstract
No abstract available in PubMed .
Related Concept Videos
Kinetic Theory of an Ideal Gas
A mole is defined as the amount of any substance that contains as many molecules as there are atoms in exactly 12 grams of carbon-12. An Italian scientist Amedeo Avogadro (1776–1856) formed the hypothesis that equal volumes of gas at equal pressure and temperature contain equal numbers of molecules, independent of the type of gas. Later, the hypothesis was developed to form the SI unit for measuring the amount of any substance.
The number of molecules in one mole is called Avogadro's number...
The number of molecules in one mole is called Avogadro's number...
Basic Postulates of Kinetic Molecular Theory: Particle Size, Energy, and Collision
The ideal-gas equation, which is empirical, describes the behavior of gases by establishing relationships between their macroscopic properties. For example, Charles’ law states that volume and temperature are directly related. Gases, therefore, expand when heated at constant pressure. Although gas laws explain how the macroscopic properties change relative to one another, it does not explain the rationale behind it.
The Kinetic Model of Gases
The kinetic model of gases explains the properties of a perfect gas using three main assumptions: molecules move in ceaseless random motion, their size is negligible compared to the distances between them, and they do not interact except during perfectly elastic collisions. The total energy of a gas is the sum of the kinetic energies of all its constituent molecules. The pressure exerted by the gas arises from the continual bombardment of the container walls by billions of colliding molecules.
Kinetic Molecular Theory: Molecular Velocities, Temperature, and Kinetic Energy
The kinetic molecular theory qualitatively explains the behaviors described by the various gas laws. The postulates of this theory may be applied in a more quantitative fashion to derive these individual laws.
Kinetic Molecular Theory and Gas Laws Explain Properties of Gas Molecules
The test of the kinetic molecular theory (KMT) and its postulates is its ability to explain and describe the behavior of a gas. The various gas laws (Boyle’s, Charles’s, Gay-Lussac’s, Avogadro’s, and Dalton’s laws) can be derived from the assumptions of the KMT, which have led chemists to believe that the assumptions of the theory accurately represent the properties of gas molecules.
Vaporization
The physical form of a substance changes by changing its temperature. For example, raising the temperature of a liquid causes the liquid to vaporize (convert into vapor). The process is called vaporization—a surface phenomenon. For vaporization to occur, kinetic energy must be greater than the intermolecular forces that keep molecules bonded. The amount of energy needed to vaporize a quantity of liquid at a given pressure and a constant temperature is called the heat of vaporization. When...
