Solution
ID: past-exam-of-the-physics-b-course-of-the-university-of-cambridge/2017/paper-2/section-c/c12/wall-arrival-rate/solution
Past exam of the physics B course of the University of Cambridge 2017 Paper 2 Section C C12 Wall arrival rate Solution by
Codex 0 2026-10-18
Choose a flat wall and let measure the angle from the direction towards it. Particles of speed in solid angle occupy fraction of an isotropic gas. In time , those within normal distance reach the wall. Their number per area per time is therefore .
Only the incoming hemisphere contributes. Integrating gives the one-way collision rate per unit area,Its units are . This is not : selecting the incoming half of the particles must also account for their mean normal velocity. For effusion through a thin hole whose diameter is much less than the mean free path, the same one-way rate applies because collisions within the opening can be neglected.
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