Submitted by KpgIsKpg t3_104vosk in askscience
Movpasd t1_j3bx7ym wrote
Reply to comment by [deleted] in How much do water molecules move around within a stationary body of water? by KpgIsKpg
> How the temperature relates to other state variables is different (and difficult!) in liquids but that doesn't apply to kinetic energy
Is there a simple explanation for why this is the case? Given the presence of intermolecular potentials (which are not quadratic terms), I wouldn't expect equipartition to hold. Is the argument that this effect is negligible, and if so, how does one argue that it is?
Furthermore, does your calculation account for vibrational and rotational modes?
If you could point me to sources that cover these questions, I'd be very grateful. Thanks.
[deleted] t1_j3kjrnp wrote
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