But isn' t there a problem with talking about "the last bit of heat in a container"? I thought that there was no such notion as the amount of heat in a container at ANY time. How do I talk about the "last bit"?
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From: phys-l-bounces@carnot.physics.buffalo.edu [phys-l-bounces@carnot.physics.buffalo.edu] on behalf of Aburr@aol.com [Aburr@aol.com]
Sent: Wednesday, January 26, 2011 6:33 PM
To: phys-l@carnot.physics.buffalo.edu
Subject: Re: [Phys-l] Third Law of Thermodynamics
Heat energy can only be transferred from a container at one temperature to
a container at a lower temperature.
Therefore it is impossible to remove the last bit of heat energy from a
container thus making its temperature 0.
(This works even with a refrigerator where the lowest temperature is in the
expansion chamber)
Alex. F. Burr
In a message dated 1/26/2011 3:18:16 P.M. Mountain Standard Time,
hfakhrud@bsu.edu writes:
The Third Law of Thermodynamics states that it is 'impossible to reach
absolute zero in a finite number of steps'.
How can we explain this law to students at, say, AP physics level?
Thanks,
~ Hasan Fakhruddin
Instructor of Physics
The Indiana Academy for Science, Mathematics, and Humanities
Ball State University
Muncie, IN 47306
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