Physics Lab - Measurement of Absolute Zero?

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Homework Help Overview

The discussion revolves around a physics lab problem related to the measurement of pressure at different temperatures, specifically using the ideal gas law. The original poster presents calculations for pressure at 0°C and 100°C based on an initial condition at 20°C.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory, Assumption checking

Approaches and Questions Raised

  • The original poster attempts to apply the ideal gas law to predict pressures at different temperatures but questions the relevance of "absolute zero" in the context of their problem. Other participants inquire about the connection between the lab title and the calculations presented.

Discussion Status

Some participants confirm the calculations provided by the original poster while others express confusion regarding the mention of absolute zero in the lab manual title. The discussion is ongoing with participants seeking clarification on the relevance of absolute zero to the problem at hand.

Contextual Notes

There is a noted disconnect between the lab manual's title and the calculations being discussed, leading to questions about the appropriateness of the title in relation to the problem. The original poster acknowledges the need to provide more detailed work in future posts.

minidee
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This problem seems straightforward and easy enough, but I still want to check my answers.

Suppose the pressure of the bulb (light bulb I'm guessing used in experiment) is 20 psi (absolute) at 20C. What would you predict the pressure to be at 0C? What would you predict would be at 100C?

I used the ideal gas law equation P = nRT/V and got:
0C Pressure = 18.6 psi
100C Pressure = 25.5 psi

How'd I do? Did I get it right? Big Thanks!
 
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Sorry, I'm missing something, where does "absolute zero" come in?
 
Those answers are correct.

In the future it would be good to show how you calculate your answers ... if they're wrong, we wouldn't be able to help unless we can see your work. :smile:

p.s. whybother makes a good point, the thread title "Measurement of Absolute Zero?" seems unrelated to the question that was asked.
 
That's the headline in the lab manual! I'm not sure why the absolute matters either! Big Thanks for helping! next time i'll include work.
 
minidee said:
That's the headline in the lab manual! I'm not sure why the absolute matters either! Big Thanks for helping! next time i'll include work.

That's the headline in the lab manual? That's horrifying... 0K has nothing to do with this problem... at all...
 

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