Is The Third Law Of Thermodynamics More Of A Guideline?
Thursday, August 7, 2008 - 13:14
in Physics & Chemistry
The Third Law of Thermodynamics states that as the temperature of a pure substance moves toward absolute zero (the mathematically lowest temperature possible) its entropy, or the disorderly behavior of its molecules, also approaches zero. The molecules should line up in an orderly fashion. Ice seems to be the exception to that rule. While the oxygen atoms in ice freeze into an ordered crystalline structure, its hydrogen atoms do not. Researchers at the University of Maryland are using meta-materials, which mimic the behavior of ice but are created out of completely different substances, to try and figure out why water ice doesn't completely conform to the Third Law of Thermodynamics. Read More...
Read the whole article on Scientific Blogging
More from Scientific Blogging
Related
- Now that's coolThu, 7 Aug 2008, 14:14:22 EDT
- Pushing the cold frontier in an orderly fashionMon, 28 Sep 2009, 5:35:15 EDT
- Quantum gas microscope offers glimpse of quirky ultracold atomsWed, 4 Nov 2009, 15:24:05 EST
- Oxygen ions for fuel cells get loose at low(er) temperaturesThu, 26 Jun 2008, 17:28:42 EDT
- Zero in on ozone with fluorescent solution that detects harmful molecule in air and bodyMon, 22 Jun 2009, 15:15:10 EDT