Written by the Fiveable Content Team • Last updated September 2025
Verified for the 2026 exam
Verified for the 2026 exam•Written by the Fiveable Content Team • Last updated September 2025
Definition
The Maxwell-Boltzmann distribution is a statistical model that describes the distribution of speeds of particles in a gas. It shows the probability of finding particles with different speeds at a given temperature.
Related terms
Speed Distribution: The pattern or spread of particle speeds within a gas sample.
Energy Distribution: The pattern or spread of particle energies within a gas sample.
Kinetic Theory: A theory that explains the behavior of gases based on the motion and interaction of their particles.