GOP'ish candidates

[ila]

Originally Posted by TracyCoxx

Remember quantum mechanics? Due to the heisenberg uncertainty principle, you can never bring particles (like electrons) to absolute rest, like you might think would happen at absolute zero. The minimum energy would be (1/2)hf, where h is planck's constant and f is the oscillation frequency associated with the De Broglie wavelength of the electron. This would be the zero-point energy, and does prevent liquid helium from freezing... at least below a pressure of 25 atms.

All the references that I checked said helium would freeze at 1 - 1.5*K, but they also agree with your statement that helium has to be compressed before it will freeze. Of course compressing gases is one way to bring down the temperature.

Originally Posted by TracyCoxx

seriously?

http://public.wsu.edu/~brians/errors/cannot.html

Yes, seriously and your reference backs up my statement as does the Oxford English Dictiionary.

[TracyCoxx]

Originally Posted by ila

All the references that I checked said helium would freeze at 1 - 1.5*K, but they also agree with your statement that helium has to be compressed before it will freeze. Of course compressing gases is one way to bring down the temperature.

Without raising the pressure helium would stay liquid at absolute zero. You can not bring it down any further than absolute zero, but raising the pressure will still do the trick.

[franalexes]

Not exactly:
The devil is in the details. Increasing pressure increases temperature.
If the gas temperature is increased, then you have a heat source that can be cooled. Releasing the pressure after cooling will cause more cooling since without pressure the helium would boil and evaporation is a cooling process.
Result: froozen!

Just put water in a closed container and create a vacuum. The water will boil without adding heat, but boiling / evaporation is a cooling process and the boiling water will change to ice.
It's like telling the boys they can't play with me; they get boiling mad and their attitude turns to ice. ( I don't have to give a referance do I ? )

[TracyCoxx]

I'm very pleased with the way this thread is going. Physics is so much more interesting than politics

[ila]

Originally Posted by TracyCoxx

I'm very pleased with the way this thread is going. Physics is so much more interesting than politics

I won't further derail this thread by posting anything more on physics, however feel free to start a thread about physics.

[franalexes]

Originally Posted by ila

I won't further derail this thread by posting anything more on physics, however feel free to start a thread about physics.

The thread isn't derailed. It seems to be on a different track.
Wouldn't a good moderator be able to move the physics posts to a new thread? Would be a shame to loose the continuity.

Please Ila, pretty please. or are you going to sleep on the couch anyway?