Question

A container with impermeable, rigid and insulated walls has some mass of gas in it. The container is moving with a constant velocity and abruptly comes to a halt. Explain what happens to the initial kinetic energy after the container comes to a halt.

Answer 1

As the container is moving witha const. velocity, the gas molecules within alos move with the same velocity.

When the container come to halt suddenly, the gas molecules within are still in motion and these molecules be hitting the walls of the container and get bounced at the walls and start moving rapidly inside.

before the contianer halted the moelcules are in equilibrium with the walls of the container and are at random movement.

Due to the incresaed velocity the tmeperature of the gas within raise. The inital KE of the container is transfered as heat energy to the gas which in turn incerases the internal energy of the gas .