This is only an approximation and applies at intermediate temperatures. The five contributions to the energy (five degrees of freedom) give: If the gas molecules contain more than one atom, there are three translation directions, and rotational kinetic energy contributes, but only for rotations about two of the three perpendicular axes. As can be seen, the internal energy of an ideal gas depends only on temperature and the number of moles of gas. This is where the equipartition of energy idea comes in вЂ“ any other contribution to the energy must also contribute (1/2)nRT. Where n is the number of moles, eachВ direction (x, y, and z) contributes (1/2)nRTto the internal energy. The average translational kinetic energy of a single atom depends only on the gas temperature and is given by the equation: Monatomic Gas вЂ“ Internal EnergyДЇor a monatomic ideal gas (such as helium, neon, or argon), the only contribution to the energy comes from translational kinetic energy. Microscopic forms of energy include those due to the rotation, vibration, translation, and interactions among the molecules of a substance. Internal energy is the total of all the energy associated with the motion of the atoms or molecules in the system. The internal energy of n moles of an ideal monatomic (one atom per molecule) gas is equal to the average kinetic energy per molecule times the total number of molecules, N:

Changing breeds volume 3