Nerd News

Not the least bit relevant to Vegas but I thought it was interesting anyway.

It was a long held belief in the scientific community that "Absolute Zero" was the coldest possible temperature at which substances of mass possessed zero energy. You were likely taught this in your 8th grade Earth Science class. But you can throw those text books in the gargbage. Scientists have now created an environment with sub-absolute-zero temperatures. And weird things happen.

https://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2013/01/below-absolute-zero/

Cool

Any idea as to when Mirage Group will be opening their first "Absolute Zero" Bar?

When they do I will be proposing a "sub-absolute Zero bar" to competitors....'cause thats where the weird things happen.

Well now what a most excellent link.

wow - that is colder than a witch's spit in January...

DonDiego didn't learn this stuff in 8th grade Earth Science; maybe they didn't know it back when poor old DonDiego was matriculating.

But a cursory reading suggests this phenomenon has a lot to do with "entropy". Everybody in 8th Grade does learn that "entropy is always increasing", . . . while not learning what entropy is, . . . except it has something to do with randomness. Nobody DonDiego knows knows what entropy is. But everybody knows it is always increasing.

Anyway, ars technica has an article entitled "Entropy Drop" which explains this accomplishment in a mite more detail and, in DonDiego's opinion clarity. It concludes: "this negative temperature isn't some state 'below' absolute zero", . . . so at least that's safe.

As with much of physics nowadays the math is pr'bly beyond DonDiego.

What is interesting about this accomplishment is that the atoms under study appear to behave like "dark energy", which is now estimated to account for 75% of the total mass-energy of the universe, and is responsible for the Universe expanding.
And, of course, "dark matter" makes up another 23%. Hmm, . . . that don't leave much for regular matter like the Earth and people and such does it?

This is too hard. DonDiego's head is beginning to hurt, . . . again.

OK, it was just really cool, now it's really confusing.

J

If you want to experience absolute zero, spend a winter in Northern Minnesota!!


Glasses can affect your vision; especially when they have been emptied several times.......

Spring Break 2000 !!!

Born there, done that. Lived in Fairbanks AK for 2 years - it got a lot colder there.

It was -35 last night a little south of me in Alamosa Colorado. I've never been to Alamosa, but I'd think it has to be like Fairbanks - every driveway has an electrical outlet to plug your car's engine heater into.