how hot is that? comparing different sources of thermal energy across the universe
TRANSCRIPT
How Hot is that?Comparing different sources of Thermal Energy across the Universe
Our Common Experience We can all sense differences in temperature
by holding our hands near an object. We can even make rough comparisons
(hotter or cooler?) But to compare many things accurately, we
use tools Thermometers (bulb, bimetallic, digital probe,
etc.) Temperature scales (Celsius, Kelvin,
Fahrenheit) These help us to quantify.
Typical Comparisons Celcius – a temperature scale with 100 degrees between
freezing and boiling points of water, with zero at water’s freezing point Water freezes at 0oC Water boils at 100oC
Kelvin - a temperature scale with 100 degrees between freezing and boiling points of water, with zero at “Absolute Zero” Water freezes at 273 K Water boils at 373 K(or 0 K) Absolute Zero – where all particle motion stops… has never been
reached But Scientists have come within a nanokelvin in the lab!
Temperature Changes in Earth’s Atmosphere The atmosphere has different layers
Different density Composition Temperature
Temperature profile
Our Local ExtremesLocal weather records for Massachusetts …
Hottest: 41.7 oC Chester and New Bedford, 8/2/1975 (314.9 K) Coldest: -35 oC Chester, 1/12/1981 (238.2 K)
Earth Extremes World weather records
Hottest air temperature: 58 oC at El Azizia, Libya on September 13, 1922 (331.2 K) Hottest surface temperature: 70.0 oC in Lut Desert, Iran (343.2 K)
Coldest air temperature -89.6 oC in Antarctica on July 21, 1983 (185.6 K)
Other areas claim to be more extreme, but these are the official records
The interior of the Earth is hotter, hot enough to melt rock and metallic minerals, but only is seen at the surface of erupting volcanoes, so…
Beyond Earth… Within our Solar System… The Moon: 107 oC on sunlit side, -153 oC on dark side
(which is 380.2 K and 120.2 K) Hottest Planet: Venus +400 oC (673 K) Coldest Planet: Neptune -201 oC (72.2 K) Hottest thing in our Solar System? The Sun! At around 5500
oC on its surface, but as hot as 15 million oC in its core. (Kelvin measure would be 5778 K and 15,000,273 K respectively)
Beyond our Solar System… Molecular clouds 20 K Betelguese a giant Red Star 3,500 K Sol (our Sun) 5,778 K Rigel, a supergiant Blue Star 11,000 K Stellar Mass black holes accretion disk 10,000,000 K Quasars 30,000,000 K
When its hot…its hot!And, when its not, its not.
The End