Where does Zero Degrees Fahrenheit come from?

Zero Degrees? 

To be "below zero" The coldest temperature ever recorded was -273.15 degrees Celsius. In that case, where did it first appear? Mathematical modelling and observational data serve as the two mainstays.

William Thompson was a Scottish physicist. It wasn't long before he became Lord Kelvin and heir apparent. In 1848, William Thompson ran his first series of experiments. Measurements of gas volumes were taken at a range of temperatures. He would measure the volume of the gas by taking a sample at zero degrees Celsius.

The volume would be recalculated once he increased the temperature by one degree Celsius. He stumbled across a fascinating find by accident. Compared to the volume at zero degrees Celsius, an increase of around 1/273 RD in volume was seen. He repeated one more experiment. He redrew the volume calculation after turning the heat down to one degree Celsius.

By the time the temperature reached zero, its volume had shrunk by a fraction of a radian. His subsequent action was to organise the data graphically. In this scenario, the vertical axis represents volume, whereas the horizontal axis represents temperature. At 0 degrees Celsius, the volume of the gas is exactly 1 unit, a number I chose at random. At 1 degree Celsius, he would have had a similar trajectory, and at -1 degree Celsius, another.

As you can see, they seem to be aligned in a straight line. So, this is what you get if you add a line to it. Okay, but what does it imply? In what way does it foretell a value of zero with a capital "0"? So, let's go with the flow of the blue line as the temperature drops. Can you explain the change in volume with decreasing temperature? For a moment, let me back up and take a look at the big picture.

OK, We can see that as we go to the left, the volume decreases along with the temperature.

What exactly is happening down here in the cellar? At -273 degrees Celsius, the blue line cuts the axis in half. So, what does this imply? Thompson's observations and calculations show that if you cool a gas to below -273 degrees Celsius, it becomes a complete vacuum and loses all of its volume.

That's the definition of illogic. What it did reveal to Thompson, though, was the existence of a temperature lower than anything he could have conceived of before. There are defined minimum temperatures. Given that Thompson used tools from the 18th century to make his measurements, it is amazing how accurate they were.

Over time, scientists settled on absolute zero as a temperature of -273.15 degrees Celsius. However, the author's outstanding use of mathematics and the combination of observation and prediction is my favourite aspect of the story. Therein lies the genesis of absolute zero.

I want to make more videos on math and science in the future, so I hope you like this one. You should join us if you're able to. The coldest temperature ever recorded was -273.15 degrees Celsius. In that case, where did it first appear? Mathematical modelling and observational data serve as the two mainstays. The Scottish physicist, William Thompson. It wasn't long before he became Lord Kelvin and heir apparent. In 1848, William Thompson ran his first series of experiments.

At various temperatures, he determined the amount of gas. When the temperature of the gas was zero, he would take a sample and calculate its volume. Then, he'd raise the temperature by a single Celsius degree and re-evaluate the volume.

He stumbled across a fascinating find by accident. Compared to the volume at 0 degrees Celsius, it was seen to have grown by about 1/273 RD.

He repeated one more experiment. He redrew the volume calculation after turning the heat down to one degree Celsius. It had shrunk by 1/273 RD in volume at freezing temperatures. His subsequent action was to organise the data graphically.

In this scenario, the vertical axis represents volume, whereas the horizontal axis represents temperature. At 0 degrees Celsius, the volume of the gas was set at 1 unit for no reason.

At 1 degree Celsius, he would have had a similar trajectory, and at -1 degree Celsius, another. The appearance of straightness is really convincing.

The following is the result of adding a line to the equation: Give me an example of this, then. I don't understand how it predicts a value of 0 since it doesn't tell you anything. Let's just go with the temperature drop shown by the blue line.

What happens to the volume when the temperature drops? Let me back up a little. Now, if we check the graph on the left, we can see that the volume decreases along with the temperature.

What exactly is happening down here in the cellar? At -273 degrees Celsius, the blue line cuts the axis in half. So, what does this imply? Thompson's observations and calculations reveal that if you chill a gas down below -273 degrees Celsius, it becomes a complete vacuum and loses all of its volume. That's the definition of illogic.

What it did reveal to Thompson, though, was the existence of a temperature lower than anything he could have conceived of before. There are defined minimum temperatures.

Even though Thompson used equipment from the 18th century to obtain his measurements, they are astonishingly accurate. The precise value of absolute zero is now known to be -273.15 degrees Celsius.

However, the author's outstanding use of mathematics and the combination of observation and prediction is my favorite aspect of the story. Therein lies the genesis of absolute zero.