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Volume 12 Number 1 March 2026

A Relativistic Correction for Boltzmann’s Distribution


Authors: Dr. Lloyd G. Allred 
Pages: 1-5
DOI: doi.org/10.32861/sr.121.1.5
Abstract
The distribution of velocities of molecules in a gas is a well understood discipline of physics. The Maxwell-Boltzmann distribution describes the distribution of velocity of a molecule in a gas as a function of mass and temperature.  Molecules with the same mass tend to have the same velocity. By expressing the same law in terms of energy alone, the distribution becomes independent of mass. This formulation provides a new universal gas law. In summary, as the molecules in the gas interact through collisions, the energies tend to equalize.  For high-energy gases, the original law predicts velocities greater than the speed of light. If one uses Einstein’s formula for energy (E=mc2), then a relativistic correction is not required.