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Absolute zero (0 degrees Kelvin, -273 degrees Celsius) is the point at which nothing can be colder, for it as at this point that the electrons stop moving. For example, in ice, although cold, the atoms are still moving---if that ice was at absolute zero the atoms would stop moving

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Absolute zero is a theoretically defined concept. It is based on the ideal gas law which relates pressure, temperature and specific volume, i.e.

PV = nRT

where

P is absolute pressure

V is total volume

n is the number of moles of ideal gas

R is the "Rankine constant"

T is the absolute temperature

This formula can be used to define temperature in terms of independent variables. While the product of pressure and volume can be reduced, it can never go below zero - you can't have less than no pressure and you can't have less than no volume. This is the internationally agreed upon standard and definition for "zero" temperature.

In practice, the only way to approach this is by reducing what we perceive as temperature. We know that as temperature goes down, the energy with which molecules and atoms rattle around decreases. A temperature of "zero" is commonly misunderstood to be a state where matter no longer has any energy or where there is no remaining entropy - however that is not completely accurate. Absolute zero is more accurately described as the point at which entropy reaches a minimum.Theoretically pure substances could form perfect crystals as temperatures approach absolute zero - but their electrons would still be swimming around their nuclei. According to Planck's formulation of the third law of thermodynamics, the entropy (S) of a perfect crystal vanishes at absolute zero. This prediction, however, cannot be valid if the lowest energy state for the substance is degenerate-that is, if the substance can exist in more than one microstates of energy. A more certain description would be to say that NEARLY all motion ceases and at absolute zero any adiabatic transformation would result in a zero change in entropy. At this temperature, the molecules stop moving, with minimal or no vibrational motion, retaining only quantum mechanical, zero-point energy-induced particle motion.

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9y ago

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