Can we define the temperature of (a) vacuum, (b) a single molecule?
Answers
Explanation:
Explanation:(a).One doesn't determine the temperature of a vacuum. Just as 'nothingness' has no color, taste, smell, etc. it also has no temperature. That is because, as you point out in your question, there are no particles whose kinetic energy can be measured or averaged.
Explanation:(a).One doesn't determine the temperature of a vacuum. Just as 'nothingness' has no color, taste, smell, etc. it also has no temperature. That is because, as you point out in your question, there are no particles whose kinetic energy can be measured or averaged.(b).For a single molecule that is in complete isolation, it is indeed generally not true (or at least not useful) to assign it a temperature, as others have said. ... In this case, as long as the molecule is in equilibrium or quasi-equilibrium with its surroundings, it does indeed have a well-defined temperature.