Okuzeka
Physics vocabulary · Heat and Thermodynamics

Absolute zero

Meaning in physics, with examples

nounCommon term

In physics, absolute zero means: The lowest possible temperature, 0 K or −273.15 °C, at which particles have the least energy they can possibly have. It can be approached but never actually reached.

In Turkish: mutlak sıfır

How it is used

It is the zero point of the kelvin scale, so ordinary temperatures in kelvin are never negative. It can be estimated by extending a pressure-temperature graph for a gas back to zero pressure. Laboratories have cooled atoms to within a billionth of a kelvin of absolute zero.

Example sentences

  1. Extend the line on the pressure-temperature graph to estimate absolute zero.

  2. Unless high pressure is applied, helium stays liquid even very close to absolute zero.

Common collocations

  • kelvin scale
  • approach absolute zero
  • absolute temperature
  • extrapolate to absolute zero
  • temperatureA measure of how hot or cold something is, linked to the average kinetic energy of its particles. In science it is measured in kelvin (K) or degrees Celsius (°C).
  • ideal gas lawThe equation pV = nRT, which links the pressure, volume, temperature and amount of an ideal gas. Real gases follow it closely at low pressure and high temperature.
  • entropyA measure of how spread out, or disordered, the energy of a system is. In an isolated system the total entropy never decreases, which is one way of stating the second law of thermodynamics.
  • heatEnergy that flows from a hotter object to a colder one because of the temperature difference between them. Like all energy, it is measured in joules (J).

More terms: Heat and Thermodynamics

Practise with graded reading

Reading at the right level is the fastest way to make new words stick. Pick free English books by level: