The Boltzmann Factor

Energy versus temperature

An interactive lesson with 7 steps, about 6 minutes: you predict, drag and solve, with instant feedback on every answer. It runs in your browser and needs JavaScript.

What you’ll learn

• Boltzmann factor: $P(E) \propto e^{-E/k_B T}$.
• At room temperature, $k_B T \approx 0.026$ eV.
• Exponential sensitivity explains why reaction rates rise steeply with temperature.

Steps

1. How likely is high energy?
2. Population ratio
3. Filling the ladder
4. Swapping energy at random
5. Thinning air
6. Cooking
7. Ten degrees warmer