Van der Waals Equation

Definition

The Van der Waals equation is an improvement over the ideal gas law that takes into account intermolecular forces and molecular size. It provides a more accurate description of real gases by incorporating corrections for non-ideal behavior.

Related terms

Real Gas: A real gas behaves differently from an ideal gas due to intermolecular forces and molecular size effects.

Intermolecular Forces: These are attractive or repulsive forces between molecules that affect their behavior.

Compressibility Factor: The compressibility factor measures how much a real gas deviates from ideal behavior under specific conditions.