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The mean free path l for a gas molecule depends upon diameter d of the molecule as

Asked in NEET (Oct.) 2020 · Mean free path and its dependence

Answer: (1) l∝1/(d²)

Step-by-step solution

Idea: the mean free path is the distance a molecule covers before its collision cross-section sweeps out one other molecule.

Mean free path: l=1/(√2 π n d²), with n the number density.

Only d varies in this question, so the number density is held fixed.

The diameter appears only in the cross-section π d², in the denominator.

l∝1/(d²).

The √2 comes from the other molecules moving too; it changes the constant, not the power of d.

Why the other options are wrong

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