Uranium has two naturally occurring isotopes. ²³⁸U has a natural abundance of 99.3% and ²³⁵U has an abundance of 0.7%.
It is the rarer ²³⁵U that is needed for nuclear reactors. The isotopes are separated by forming uranium hexafluoride, UF₆, which is a gas, then allowing it to diffuse through a series of porous membranes. ²³⁵UF₆ has a slightly larger rms speed than ²³⁸UF₆ and diffuses slightly faster. Many repetitions of this procedure gradually separate the two isotopes. What is the ratio of the rms speed of ²³⁵UF₆ to that of ²³⁸UF₆?