The diagram shows the Maxwell–Boltzmann distribution of molecular energies for a fixed sample of nitrogen gas, N2(g)\text{N}_2(\text{g})N2(g), at two different temperatures.
Which of the following is a correct statement?
Curve 1 represents the gas at a higher temperature than Curve 2, meaning more molecules have energy exceeding a given activation energy EaE_{\text{a}}Ea.
Curve 2 represents the gas at a higher temperature, where the most probable energy of the molecules is higher, but a smaller fraction of the molecules possess this energy.
The total area under Curve 2 is greater than the total area under Curve 1 because the molecules have greater average kinetic energy at higher temperatures.
At the temperature represented by Curve 2, the mean kinetic energy of the molecules is equal to the most probable energy.