<p>Will the root mean square speed of a gas or the average kinetic energy of a gas be on the exam? I've just went through the whole Princeton book this weekend and I'm trying to cut down on things I don't have to know. The root mean square speed or the average kinetic of a gas weren't on the Sparknotes formulas page.</p>
<p>This is exactly what I am wondering because as of now, I am only studying formulas on the Sparknotes page, unless I know otherwise that there are some formulas missing</p>
<p>Just know the trends.</p>
<p>For example two different gases (e.g. H2 and CO2) at STP will have the same average kinetic energy because they are at the same temperature.</p>
<p>H2 will have a faster root mean square speed than CO2. This is because the lighter gas will need to be moving faster so that the kinetic energy is the same as the heavier gas. </p>
<p>You know this because KE = 0.5 mv^2</p>