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Absolute zero is the theoretical temperature at which entropy reaches its minimum value. The laws of thermodynamics state that absolute zero cannot be reached using only thermodynamic means.
By international agreement, absolute zero is defined as 0K on the Kelvin scale and as −273.15°C on the Celsius scale.[1] This equates to −459.67°F on the Fahrenheit scale. Scientists have achieved temperatures very close to absolute zero, where matter exhibits quantum effects such as superconductivity and superfluidity.
So, what I'm getting at here is that cooling something to the point of absolute zero would be impossible because Anything that exists has to have some vibration.
Did you mean -270 Celsius which is 3 Kelvin?
Originally posted by Astyanax
Even the temperature of space is slightly above absolute zero; an average of about 270 degrees Kelvin.
Did you mean -270 Celsius which is 3 Kelvin?
By this logic, should there also be an upper limit to the temperature scale, such as when molecular vibration reaches the speed of light? Since matter cannot move at this speed, it should be the highest temperature possible. I wonder what it is or if I am right?
You're sort of right and sort of wrong.
Originally posted by Sundreez
There is an equation that shows what happens to a volume of ( ideal) gas at different temperatures:
pV = nRT
where p is the absolute pressure of the gas; V is the volume; n is the amount of substance; R is the universal gas constant; and T is the absolute temperature.
Since matter cannot move at this speed, it should be the highest temperature possible. I wonder what it is or if I am right?
Within its limitations the Ideal Gas Law can accurately predict the behavior of real gases...
But at far more extreme pressures differences between actual and predicted values start to appear:..
This is because at more extreme pressures factors which the Ideal Gas Law chooses to ignore become important enough to undermine the models accuracy but for the usual lab conditions the Ideal Gas Law closely predicts the physical behavior of a gas.
In summary an ideal gas is a model, a fictional creation which has no molecular volume and no molecular interactions. Like many simple models, it makes accurate predictions where certain factors can be ignored; more complex models are needed when these factors can no longer be ignored.
The faster molecules move, the hotter they get. At 10^10 K electrons approach the speed of light, but they also become more massive, so their temperature can continue to rise. At 10^32 K such staggering densities obtain that greater temperature would cause each particle of matter to become its own black hole, and the usual understanding of space and time would collapse. Ergo, the Planck temperature is as hot as things can get. Or at least it's the highest temp conceivable in present theory. There's a chance when a quantum theory of gravity is worked out we may find even higher temperatures are possible.