Kinetic Molecular Theory

A hot air balloon is filled with heated gas. As the gas heats, it expands, filling the entire balloon. Since the gas is less dense than the surrounding air, it will lift off. This is the oldest human flight technique. The longest recorded balloon travel was set in 1991. During this year, two adventures traveled over four thousand miles in a hot air balloon. Do you think the pilots traveling in hot air balloon knew all of the properties of the gases that keep them afloat?

Kinetic molecular theory accounts for the physical properties of gases and lays the foundation for your understanding of this type of matter. In this topic, you will be introduced to kinetic molecular theory and the various factors that affect gas behavior. Also, you will learn to recognize and convert the essential units of measure for gas characteristics including temperature, pressure, volume, and amount of gas.

Essential Questions

• What is the kinetic molecular theory?
• How are the measurements for gases converted?