[vcolts18]

I am struggling with a chemistry problem about the gaseous state.

What is the probability that an O2 molecule in a sample of oxygen at 300 K has a speed between 5.00 x 10^2 and 5.10 x 10^2 m s^-1 (hint: try approximating the area under the Maxwell-Boltzmann distribution by small rectangles.

So basically does this mean it wants you to draw out the Maxboltz distribution for an ideal gas because the temp is so high? And then do some kind of reimann sum? I really don't even know where to start.

[Borek]

Probablity that x is in some interval equals integral on this interval. What they suggest is to not calculate the integral, but to approximate it by field of the reactangle. Approximation with http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trapezoidal_rule will be even better.