A Simple Laboratory Experiment for the Determination of Absolute Zero

Abstract

A novel method that evaluates absolute zero was developed. It employs a remarkably simple and inexpensive apparatus and is based on the extrapolation of the volume of a given amount of dry air to zero volume after a volume of air trapped inside a 10-mL graduated cylinder is measured at various temperatures. This method of determining absolute zero is new in the sense that it utilizes reported values of the vapor pressure of water at various temperatures to extract the volume of dry air from that of wet air. A set of 10 measured values ranged from -263.10 to -287.90 °C with an average value and standard deviation of 277.86 ± 7.35 °C. This result is notably better than results from other methods of extrapolation to zero volume, which typically yield a standard deviation of ±20 °C.

Using Image Recognition and Processing Technology to Measure the Gas Volume in a Miniature Water Electrolysis Device Constructed with Simple Materials

“…As shown in the results, in the first 100 s, 60.4 μL of hydrogen was generated in the cathode of the imaged area, and 28.7 μL of oxygen was generated in the anode (see Supporting Information for detailed data). Under the teacher’s instruction, students compared the noncontacting method used in the experiment with the traditional contacting methods for the gas volume measurement (such as the inverted cylinder method, − displacement method, gas-tube method, and syringe method). The former method could measure a volume at 10–100 μL, while the latter methods could hardly measure a volume below 1 mL, which reflects the advantage of using image recognition and processing technology.…”

A Global Least-Squares Fit for Absolute Zero

“…If the usual fit to mx + b is carried out, absolute zero must be computed from ᎑b͞m, and the error in absolute zero must be obtained by hand using the equation above or by matrix algebra using V. It is tempting to avoid these postfit calculations by assigning temperature as the y variable and fitting the data to mx + b so that the fit immediately returns absolute zero as the y-intercept with its associated error. This procedure, which has been suggested at least twice in this Journal (1,3), is usually incorrect because the pressure or volume measurements are less precise than the temperature measurements. When used incorrectly, this short cut will bias the value of absolute zero, the size of the bias depending on the distribution of the temperature data.…”

“…The concept of absolute zero is essential to an understanding of ideal gas behavior, so it is not surprising that many undergraduate lab experiments have been designed to measure absolute zero (1)(2)(3). Usually a gas sample is trapped and its pressure or volume is measured as a function of temperature; when the data are plotted as P versus T or V versus T the x -intercept is the estimated value of absolute zero.…”

Experimental Determination of Absolute Zero Temperature

“…[1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10] Most such experiments are based on the isobaric process for the ideal gas (Charles' law). [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9] The use of the isochoric process for this aim is quite uncommon for unexplainable reasons. 10 All the experiments are carried out with air.…”

“…4,6 For educational purposes and for reasons of safety, the use of mercury is extremely undesirable. Instead, glycerol, 1 heavy mineral oil, 2,7 dibutyl phthalate, 5 and water 8,9 are employed. The use of such liquids, however, does not allow the temperature and the volume to vary over a wide range because the pressure of the saturated vapors of these liquids is considerable at higher temperatures and has to be kept in mind.…”