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- Path: sparky!uunet!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!uwm.edu!psuvax1!psuvm!bav2
- Organization: Penn State University
- Date: Thu, 7 Jan 1993 11:21:34 EST
- From: <BAV2@psuvm.psu.edu>
- Message-ID: <93007.112134BAV2@psuvm.psu.edu>
- Newsgroups: sci.physics
- Subject: Re: Budding Physicist
- References: <93007.100220STANTONK@QUCDN.QueensU.CA>
- Lines: 29
-
- In article <93007.100220STANTONK@QUCDN.QueensU.CA>, Ken
- <STANTONK@QUCDN.QueensU.CA> says:
- >
- >My seven year old asked me a question that left me scratching my head.
- >Since I am not a physicist, I need your help. :^)
- >His question started with queries about temperature scales, absolute
- >zero and so on. That I could handle. :^) Then, he asked what the MAXIMUM
- >possible temperature was, according to theory. My answer was, "What?".
- >He explained further to me, "Well, I understand that temperature is a measure
- >of the speed of the molecules. And you told me that Einstein's theory
- >means that if the molecules were travelling at the speed of light, they
- >should be energy, not matter. So, what temperature should that be, according
- >to the theory?" And I thought questions like this were only supposed to
- >start when they reached age 16 :-/
- >
- >HELP! Please reply directly to my email address since I don't subscribe
- >to this news group. Thanks. Ken Stanton.
-
-
- Your error is that the temperature is not exactly a measure of the
- molecules' velocities, but rather of their energy. As the thermal
- velocities of molecules approach light speed, their kinetic energy goes
- to infinity (you may remember that this is one of the causes why one
- cannot reach this velocity) and so does the temperature.
-
- You have a bright kid, howevere. It would be a shame if he will be
- spoiled by the rotten American education system
-
- -Boris
-