Abstract
The authors describe an experiment which introduces undergraduates to computer simulations of physical systems and teaches them about the kinetic theory of gases. The behaviour of a seven molecule one-dimensional perfect gas is simulated on a microcomputer. The program can be used to illustrate the development of thermal equilibrium, the equipartition of energy, and the distinction, at a molecular level, between isothermal, adiabatic and Joule expansions. A value for the ratio of specific heats can be obtained which agrees well with elementary theory.
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