you and a friend have two flasks, one containing hydrogen gas and the other chlorine gas; you each take one flask and go to opposite sides of the room, 10.0m apart. if you were both to popen your flasks toward each other at the same time, where in the room would the explosive reaction take place? Give your answer as distance in meters from you. Of course, you also have to pick which flask you will be holding in order to solve this problem, so tell me which one you pick and why.

Question

you and a friend have two flasks, one containing hydrogen gas and the other chlorine gas; you each take one flask and go to opposite sides of the room, 10.0m apart. if you were both to popen your flasks toward each other at the same time, where in the room would the explosive reaction take place? Give your answer as distance in meters from you. Of course, you also have to pick which flask you will be holding in order to solve this problem, so tell me which one you pick and why.

Answer 1

To determine where the explosive reaction will take place, we need to consider the relative velocities of the flasks and the characteristics of the gases involved.

First, let's analyze the situation with the understanding that hydrogen gas is much lighter than chlorine gas. This means that hydrogen molecules will move faster on average than chlorine molecules at the same temperature. Therefore, to initiate the explosive reaction, it is advisable for you to choose the flask containing hydrogen gas. This selection maximizes the chances of reaching a collision point closer to your friend's location.

To calculate the exact point of the explosive reaction, we need to consider the relative velocities of the flasks and the time it takes for them to travel the 10.0m distance.

Assuming that both you and your friend open the flasks simultaneously, the distance between you will decrease at a rate determined by the difference in your flask velocities. Since the hydrogen gas flask is lighter, it will have a higher average velocity compared to the chlorine gas flask.

To solve this problem, we need to know the specific velocities of the flasks. If this information is not provided, we could consider typical values for gas velocities. At room temperature, the average velocity of hydrogen gas is about 1,744 m/s, while for chlorine gas, it is about 449 m/s.

Given that your friend is holding the flask containing chlorine gas, the explosive reaction will likely take place closer to your friend's location. Therefore, the distance from you would be less than 10.0 meters, but without the specific velocities, we cannot determine the exact distance.