Absolute Scale (Noun)
Meaning
A temperature scale that defines absolute zero as 0 degrees; water freezes at 273.16 degrees and boils at 373.16 degrees.
Classification
Nouns denoting relations between people or things or ideas.
Examples
- The Kelvin temperature scale is an example of an absolute scale that has a fixed zero point and is based on the triple point of water.
- Physicists use the absolute scale to define the temperatures at which various physical phenomena occur, such as the superconducting transition of certain materials.
- Unlike relative temperature scales like Fahrenheit or Celsius, the absolute scale has a fundamental basis in the laws of thermodynamics.
- In cryogenics, researchers rely on the absolute scale to accurately measure the extremely low temperatures of materials at or near absolute zero.
- By defining absolute zero as the zero point on the absolute scale, scientists can measure temperature with absolute precision, independent of any particular reference point.