Given a small increment in time
The probability that a small particle traveling at
Pressure:
- 1/2 comes from the fact that only half the particles are heading towards the wall
is the probability that a particle is traveling at - there are
particles we're observing - multiply the pressure by the probability of being in that region and the probability of having that velocity
- integrate over all possible velocities
That integral gives the expectation value (definition: probability * the velocity)
Isotropy of the gas: $$E = \frac{1}{2}m\langle v^2 \rangle = \frac{1}{2}m\langle v^2_x + v^2_y + v^2_z \rangle = \frac{3}{2}m\langle v_x^2\rangle$$
Pressure: $$P = \frac{2NE}{3V}$$