A steel tank containing helium is cooled to 15◦C. If you could look into the tank and see the gas molecules, what would you observe?

If you could look into the tank and see the gas molecules, you would observe that they are moving at different speeds and directions. This is due to the kinetic motion of the particles.

To understand this observation, we need to consider the properties of gases and their behavior at different temperatures. The kinetic theory of gases states that gas particles are in constant random motion. The temperature of a gas is directly related to the average kinetic energy of its particles.

When the steel tank containing helium is cooled to 15°C, the average kinetic energy of the helium gas molecules decreases. As a result, the particles move at slower speeds compared to when they are at higher temperatures.

If you could see the gas molecules, you would observe a less energetic and slower motion. The individual helium atoms would still be moving, but their overall motion would be reduced due to the cooling effect.

It's important to note that observing gas molecules directly is not possible due to their microscopic size. However, the behavior and properties of gases, including the motion of gas particles, can be understood and studied through various scientific experiments and theories.

A bunch of He atoms moving around, hitting each other and the sides of the container.