---
title: "A student measures the molecular speed distribution of a 1.0 mol sample of \\(\\text{Ar(g)}\\) in a rigid container under three different thermal conditions, resulting in curves 1, 2, and 3 shown in the graph below.  Which of the following correctly ranks the temperatures \\(T_1\\), \\(T_2\\), and \\(T_3\\) from lowest to highest and provides the correct justification?"
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url: "https://nerd-notes.com/ubq/119232/"
date_modified: "2026-08-19T12:39:29+00:00"
---

# A student measures the molecular speed distribution of a 1.0 mol sample of \(\text{Ar(g)}\) in a rigid container under three different thermal conditions, resulting in curves 1, 2, and 3 shown in the graph below.

Which of the following correctly ranks the temperatures \(T_1\), \(T_2\), and \(T_3\) from lowest to highest and provides the correct justification?

A student measures the molecular speed distribution of a 1.0 mol sample of \(\text{Ar(g)}\) in a rigid container under three different thermal conditions, resulting in curves 1, 2, and 3 shown in the graph below.

Which of the following correctly ranks the temperatures \(T_1\), \(T_2\), and \(T_3\) from lowest to highest and provides the correct justification?

![A 2D line graph titled 'Molecular Speed Distribution of Ar(g)' showing relative number of molecules on the vertical axis labeled 'Relative Number of Molecules' versus molecular speed on the horizontal axis labeled 'Molecular Speed (m/s)'. The origin (0,0) is shown with bare axes without gridlines. Three distribution curves start near zero at low speeds, rise to a single peak, and tail off to the right. Curve 1 is a solid black line with a tall, narrow peak centered at approximately 350 m/s and labeled 'T1' near its apex. Curve 2 is a dashed black line with an intermediate height peak centered at approximately 500 m/s and labeled 'T2' near its apex. Curve 3 is a dotted black line with a broad, low peak centered at approximately 700 m/s and labeled 'T3' near its apex. The enclosed areas beneath all three curves are visually equal. No other lines, labels, text, or annotations appear.](https://nerd-notes.com/wp-content/uploads/ubq-frq-generated/stem-fig-1-1787143169-4SOtOZ.jpg)

- **A.** \(T_3 < T_2 < T_1\), because curve 1 has the highest peak height, indicating that the molecules at \(T_1\) have the greatest average kinetic energy.
- **B.** \(T_3 < T_2 < T_1\), because lowering the temperature increases particle collisions, causing the speed distribution to spread over a wider range.
- **C.** \(T_1 < T_2 < T_3\), because as temperature increases, the average kinetic energy of the gas particles increases, shifting the peak toward higher speeds and broadening the distribution.
- **D.** \(T_1 < T_2 < T_3\), because the total area under curve 3 is greater than the total area under curve 1, indicating higher total thermal energy.

*The answer key and step-by-step explanation are available to logged-in users at https://nerd-notes.com/ubq/119232/*