write the number of degrees of freedom of a diatomic gas molecule
Degrees of freedom (physics and chemistry) In three-dimensional space, three degrees of freedom are associated with the movement of a particle. A diatomic gas molecule has 5 degrees of freedom[dubious – discuss]. This set may be decomposed in terms of translations, rotations, and vibrations of the molecule. The center of mass motion of the entire molecule accounts for 3 degrees of freedom. In addition, the molecule has two rotational degrees of motion and one[dubious – discuss] vibrational mode. The rotations occur around the two axes perpendicular to the line between the two atoms. The rotation around the atom–atom bond is not a physical rotation[dubious – discuss]. This yields, for a diatomic molecule, a decomposition of: