A long, closed cylindrical tank contains a diatomic gas that is maintained at a uniform temperature that can be varied. When you measure the speed of sound v in the gas as a function of the temperature T of the gas, you obtain these results:

(a) Explain how you can plot these results so that the graph will be well fit by a straight line. Construct this graph and verify that the plotted points do lie close to a straight line.

(b) Because the gas is diatomic, γ = 1.40. Use the slope of the line in part (a) to calculate M, the molar mass of the gas. Express M in grams/mole. What type of gas is in the tank?

Transcribed Image Text:

T (°C) (m/s) -20.0 0.0 20.0 40.0 60.0 80.0 324 372 337 349 361 383