What is the volume of gas molecules compared to the total volume of a gas?

The volume of gas molecules compared to the total volume of a gas is considered negligible because gases are composed of particles that are widely spaced apart. In an ideal gas, the distance between molecules is much larger than the size of the molecules themselves, which means that the actual volume occupied by the gas molecules is tiny compared to the volume of the container they are in. This characteristic is a key assumption in the ideal gas law, where we treat gas molecules as points with no volume in order to simplify calculations.

In real-life scenarios, while gas molecules do have volume, the vast space between them in a typical gaseous state makes their total volume insignificant when calculating properties of the gas as a whole. This distinction is crucial for understanding gas behaviors, particularly in contexts like gas laws and thermodynamics, where the effects of compressibility and interactions between gas molecules are often modeled as idealized conditions.

Understanding this concept helps in grasping foundational theories in chemistry related to gas behavior, especially in explaining why certain gas laws hold true under various conditions.