Gas escaping through a tiny hole — lighter molecules escape faster, rate ∝ 1/√mass (Graham 1848)
Two-Compartment Box
Escape Count Over Time
Light escaped: 0 | Heavy escaped: 0 | ratio: —
Maxwell-Boltzmann: at temperature T, mean speed v̄ = √(8kT/πm). Graham's Law: effusion rate ∝ 1/√m.
Light molecules (He-like, orange) in left; heavy (N₂-like, blue) in right.
Expected ratio of escape rates = √(m_heavy/m_light).
Watch the predicted ratio match Graham's Law as statistics accumulate.