Verified Solution • 2025–26 Session moderate

QPage 33: Q18: HC Verma: Concepts of Physics - Volume 2 Kinetic Theory of Gases Page 33: Q18 Solution: Consider a collision between an oxygen molecule and a hydrogen…

⚠️ Common Exam Traps & Conceptual Pitfalls

Students often mistakenly assume that in a collision, both molecules must either gain or lose energy simultaneously, ignoring that the total kinetic energy of the system is conserved. Remember that in an elastic collision, energy is transferred between particles, so one molecule's kinetic energy increases only if the other's decreases.

Consider a collision between an oxygen molecule and a hydrogen molecule in a mixture of oxygen and hydrogen kept at room temperature. Which of the following are possible?

Multiple Choice Options

  • A a) The kinetic energies of both the molecules increase.
  • B b) The kinetic energies of both the molecules decrease.
  • C c) kinetic energy of the oxygen molecule increases and that of the hydrogen molecule decreases.
  • D d) The kinetic energy of the hydrogen molecule increases and that of the oxygen molecule decreases.

Step-by-Step Verified Solution

**Answer:** c), d). **Step-by-Step Explanation:** In a collision between an oxygen molecule and a hydrogen molecule, energy can be transferred. The lighter hydrogen molecule can gain energy from the heavier oxygen molecule (c) or lose energy to it (d). Both are possible depending on the initial velocities.

All Questions in this Chapter

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