Re: Naive conceptions

[David Bowman <dbowman@tiger.gtc.georgetown.ky.us>]

Bill Beaty wrote:
> ....
> Same for "hot" and "cold".  Cold doesn't exist, and human body temp. is an
> arbitrary, human division between what we call "hot" and what is "cold".
>
> Now lets not get started here on whether "heat" exists!   ;)

OK, I won't touch the subject of whether 'heat' exists, but regarding the
concepts of 'hot' and 'cold' I wish to disagree with the claim that 'cold'
doesn't exist.  I rather claim that it's 'hot' that doesn't exist.  :) 
Everything (in quasi-eqilibrium) merely possesses various degrees of
coldness.  A good argument can be made that the the fundamental
thermometric parameter of thermodynamics is the [beta] parameter defined by
the intensive quasistatic thermodynamic partial derivative:
[beta] = (1/k)*dS/dU_(no work).  This parameter is a measure of 'coldness'
and its reciprocal is (up to an irrelvant factor of k) the (derived) usual
thermodynamic (absolute) temperature.

David Bowman
dbowman@gtc.georgetown.ky.us