Jun 23 2010
kuswotanti:clearscience: Hello Clear Scientists. Let’s talk about something suggested by a Clear Science reader. What exactly is absolute zero? How do they measure it? It turns out temperature has a minimum value, which is absolute zero. Temperatures below this value cannot exist. Absolute zero is -273 °C (which is also -459 °F). In science, we never use Fahrenheit degrees to measure temperature, even in the United States. (This makes your scientist brain kind of split off from your regular brain—for example, the Clear Science staff works exclusively in Celsius, but if you ask us what a comfortable Celsius temperature is, we still have to do the math to convert 72 °F and find 22 °C.) For some scientific work, it is critical to have another temperature scale where absolute zero really means zero. We call this temperature scale the Kelvin scale. You calculate it by adding 273 to the Celsius temperature—this shifts -273 up to 0. A comfortable temperature in kelvins is 295 K. By the way, you say “kelvins” and not “degrees kelvin.” Did you know that? Whoaaa… i remembered my physics lecturer once told me why it’s Kelvin, not degree kelvin..but i forgot the answer…hahahhahaaa…since i was really bad at physics, and kind of not really interested on it..so..why???

kuswotanti:clearscience:

Hello Clear Scientists. Let’s talk about something suggested by a Clear Science reader. What exactly is absolute zero? How do they measure it?

It turns out temperature has a minimum value, which is absolute zero. Temperatures below this value cannot exist. Absolute zero is -273 °C (which is also -459 °F).

In science, we never use Fahrenheit degrees to measure temperature, even in the United States. (This makes your scientist brain kind of split off from your regular brain—for example, the Clear Science staff works exclusively in Celsius, but if you ask us what a comfortable Celsius temperature is, we still have to do the math to convert 72 °F and find 22 °C.)

For some scientific work, it is critical to have another temperature scale where absolute zero really means zero. We call this temperature scale the Kelvin scale. You calculate it by adding 273 to the Celsius temperature—this shifts -273 up to 0.

A comfortable temperature in kelvins is 295 K. By the way, you say “kelvins” and not “degrees kelvin.” Did you know that?

Whoaaa… i remembered my physics lecturer once told me why it’s Kelvin, not degree kelvin..but i forgot the answer…hahahhahaaa…since i was really bad at physics, and kind of not really interested on it..so..why???

via wulankuswo
28 notes
  1. sheilalilulelo reblogged this from clearscience
  2. tornadoquest reblogged this from clearscience
  3. steingart answered: I did not know the kelvins thing.
  4. sidewayscompass answered: duh, that was one for the books when i told my chem teacher that and she tried proving me wrong by using the internet in front of the class.
  5. waterbendergirl0212 answered: *nervous* Why are you looking at me?? I’m a Psychology major!! *runs away* LOL
  6. tazymaniandevil reblogged this from wulankuswo and added:
    Hello Clear Scientists. Let’s talk about something suggested by a Clear Science reader. What exactly is absolute zero?...
  7. nsomn answered: No, I didn’t! Thanks!
  8. funkypost answered: yes
  9. wulankuswo reblogged this from clearscience
  10. scienceideas reblogged this from clearscience
  11. davanita answered: follow-up question: why do we have 3 ways of measuring temperature? why not have just one so we’re all on the same page?
  12. griffen555 answered: no
  13. awpoops answered: I did.
  14. clearscience posted this