Kinetic Theory of Gases: Maxwell's Distribution

This lecture delves into the concept of Maxwell's distribution, which describes the distribution of molecular speeds in gases. The instructor explains how this distribution is crucial for understanding chemical reactions with fixed activation energy and how it varies with temperature. The lecture covers the mathematical definition of the distribution function, the graphical representation of Maxwell's distribution, and the calculation of important velocities such as the most probable speed, average speed, and root-mean-square speed. Through examples with oxygen molecules, the instructor illustrates how these velocities relate to each other.