For 10 points, name this theorem from thermodynamics which states that every degree of freedom contributes the same kinetic energy.
In 2010, physicists at the University of Texas at Austin measured the Brownian motion of micrometer-sized beads of glass in order to give a direct confirmation of this principle. It's not a conservation law, but by slowing down heavier particles, this principle is directly responsible for mass segregation. It can be derived by integrating with respect to velocity the velocity squared times the MaxwellBoltzmann distribution to find the average velocity, and it can be used to derive the ideal gas law and DulongPetit law. This principle claims that the average kinetic energy of a particle in an ideal gas is equal one half times the degrees of freedom times Boltzmann's constant times temperature. For 10 points, name this theorem from thermodynamics which states that every degree of freedom contributes the same kinetic energy.
In 2010, physicists at the University of Texas at Austin measured the Brownian motion of micrometer-sized beads of glass in order to give a direct confirmation of this principle.
equipartition theorem [or principle]