13.9 At what temperature is the root mean square speed of an atom in an argon gas cylinder equal to the RMS speed of a helium gas atom at – 20 °C? (atomic mass of Ar = 39.9 u, of He = 4.0 u).

The temperature of the helium atom, THe = –20°C= 253 K
Atomic mass of argon, MAr = 39.9 u
The atomic mass of helium, MHe = 4.0 u
Let (vrmsAr) be the RMS speed of argon.
Let (vrmsHe) be the RMS speed of helium.
The RMS speed of argon is:
vrmsAr=3RTArMAr … (i)
The RMS speed of helium is:
vrmsHe=3RTHeMHe… (ii)
According to the question:
vrmsAr=vrmsHe
3RTArMAr=3RTHeMHe
TArMAr=THeMHe
TAr=THeMHe×MAr
=2534×39.9
= 2523.675 = 2.52 × 103 K
Therefore, the temperature of the argon atom is 2.52 × 103K.