But, it says, “its going to be twice as cold,” and that is something completely different and more complicated. Stop and ask, “What are we talking about here?
The way this question is posed means you “should focus on the issue of heat (energy),” Bob Weinbeck of the American Meteorological Society’s Education Office said when we sent the question to the AMS. “Cold is really the presence of minimal heat. Temperature only reflects the amount of heat – and on an arbitrary scale. One could use the absolute temperature scale.” By “absolute temperature scale” Weinbeck means a scale that begins at absolute zero; that is at the temperature at which there is no molecular motion. For more on this, see the USATODAY.com graphic that explains how temperature is really a measurement of molecular motion. The most common absolute scale is the Kelvin (K) scale, which is based on the Celsius scale with minus 273.16 degrees C being 0 degrees K. To change C to K, just add 273.16 degrees to the C reading. If you have learned algebra, you know that -17.7C will be 255.46 degrees K. (Since -17.7 is a negative number you subtract it from 273.16 when you add the two.)
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- But, it says, "its going to be twice as cold," and that is something completely different and more complicated. Stop and ask, "What are we talking about here?
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