The Maxwell-Boltzmann distribution shows that molecules in a gas don't all move at the same speed, but rather follow a predictable statistical pattern. The curve representing this distribution shows a peak for the most probable speed and a long tail indicating that some molecules move very fast. The distribution is significantly affected by temperature, which shifts the entire curve toward higher speeds, and molecular mass, where lighter gases have a curve shifted toward higher speeds. This model is crucial because it explains gas properties based on the statistical, not uniform, motion of molecules.