College Physics with MasteringPhysics 7th Edition by Jerry Wilson,Anthony Buffa,Bo Lou

Exercise 42

The escape speed from the Earth is about 11 000 m/s (Section 7.5). Assume that for a given type of gas to eventually escape the Earth's atmosphere, its average molecular speed must be about 10% of the escape speed. (a) Which gas would be more likely to escape the Earth: (1) oxygen, (2) nitrogen, or (3) helium (b) Assuming a temperature of 40°F in the upper atmosphere, determine the rms speed of a molecule of oxygen. Is it enough to escape the Earth (Data: The mass of an oxygen molecule is 5.34 × 10 26 kg, that of a nitrogen molecule is 4.68 × 10 26 kg, and that of a helium molecule is 6.68 × 10 27 kg