Boltzmann constant

High school (ages 12+)
Science & Technology

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Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/boltzmann-constant

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the discoverer?Ludwig Boltzmann
2. What is the exact value?1.380649 × 10^-23 J/K
3. Why do scientists use the Boltzmann constant?It helps us calculate how much energy particles have when they are hot or cold. It also lets us define the kelvin, the unit for temperature, using a fixed number.
4. How does the Boltzmann constant help us understand heat?In a gas, each way a particle can move gives about ½ kB T extra energy. This shows how temperature is the average energy of all the tiny motions.

Statistical Mechanics: A branch of physics that uses probability theory to study the behavior of large collections of particles.
Equipartition Theorem: A theorem stating that energy is equally distributed among all accessible degrees of freedom in a system at thermal equilibrium.
Black-Body Radiation: The electromagnetic radiation emitted by an idealized object that absorbs all incident electromagnetic radiation.