Question: Determining absolute zero with a piston

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SUMMARY

This discussion focuses on determining absolute zero using an experimental setup involving a piston in a cylinder of water. The experiment maintained a steady temperature of 23 degrees Celsius with varying weights to measure gas pressure, followed by a second trial at 3 degrees Celsius using ice. The participants discussed the significance of graphing height versus 1/pressure and the implications of the ideal gas law in extrapolating absolute zero. The key takeaway is that the product of pressure and volume approaches zero as temperature approaches absolute zero (0 K).

PREREQUISITES
  • Understanding of the Ideal Gas Law
  • Knowledge of thermodynamic principles
  • Familiarity with regression analysis
  • Basic experimental design and data collection techniques
NEXT STEPS
  • Study the Ideal Gas Law and its applications in thermodynamics
  • Learn about the concept of absolute zero and its significance in physics
  • Explore regression analysis techniques for experimental data interpretation
  • Investigate the relationship between pressure, volume, and temperature in gases
USEFUL FOR

This discussion is beneficial for physics students, researchers in thermodynamics, and anyone interested in experimental methods for determining physical constants like absolute zero.

PrinceOfDeaf
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I am working on a lab report related to Ideal Gases at the moment, and I can't quite grasp how you would go about finding the temperature for absolute zero. Here's a brief synopsis of our experiment: We inserted a piston into a cylinder of water to keep the piston at a steady temperature of 23 degrees Celsius. Then, we placed known masses on top of the piston and measured the height change, thereby allowing us to determine the pressure that the gas exerts (1kg, 2kg, ..., 5kg). We repeated this experiment but now with ice in the water, and this changed the system to be at a steady 3 degrees Celsius. We graphed height vs 1/pressure for both cases and computed regression lines if that has any significance to the question at hand.

How would you go about extrapolating absolute zero from this experiment?
 
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Hi PrinceofDeaf, welcome to PF. What is the ideal gas law? What quantity (hint: what product) would be zero at T=0\,\mathrm{K}?
 

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