The Molecular Kinetic Energy calculator computes the kinetic energy of a gaseous molecule based on the temperature (T) and the Boltzmann constant,
INSTRUCTIONS: Choose units and enter the following:
Kinetic Energy (KE): The calculator returns the kinetic energy in Joules. However, this can be automatically converted to compatible units via the pull-down menu.
The Kinetic Molecular Theory formula calculates the average kinetic energy of a gaseous molecule at a specific temperature. The formula for the Kinetic Molecular Theory is:
KE = 3/2 • kB • T
where:
Molecular kinetic energies increase when temperature increases, and decrease when temperature decreases. The kinetic energies calculated using this formula are considered to be average kinetic energies because some molecules will be moving faster than others. The only necessary input from the user is the temperature.
Whitten, et al. "Chemistry" 10th Edition. Pp. 429.
Hyper Physics: Kinetic Temperature