Problem

The Maxwell speed distribution assumes that the gas is in equilibrium. Thus, if a gas, all...

The Maxwell speed distribution assumes that the gas is in equilibrium. Thus, if a gas, all of whose molecules were moving at the same speed, were given enough time, they would eventually come to satisfy the speed distribution. But the kinetic theory derivations in the text assumed that when a gas molecule hits the wall of a container, it bounces back with the same energy it had before the collision and that gas molecules exert no forces on each other. If gas molecules exchange energy neither with the walls of their container nor with each other, how can they ever come to equilibrium? Is it not true that if they all had the same speed initially, some would have to slow down and others speed up, according to the Maxwell speed distribution?

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