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From: Grant Stockly <gussie@alaska.net>
>If you convert the unit of temperature into another unit of
measurement,
>you will get the right answer... Thats just like saying you have to
use
>the quadradic formula to do x^2+16+64 when (x+8)(x+8) will work
fine... :)
You will only get the right answer if you convert to a ratio scale
(like kelvin) instead of trying to use in interval scale like
F and C. The main problem is with the statement of the question,
by "twice as cold" is it intended to mean half the energy, or
one half the interval from zero. By taking another case, say
30 degrees, we can demonstrait more clearly. In conversational
english, "twice as cold" as 30 degrees will probably refer to
15 degrees, or one half the current tempature, not one half
the heat energy. Therefore, "twice as cold" as 0 degrees would
have to still be 0 degrees.
However, "twice as cold" COULD refer to total heat energy, and
in order to calculate this, one must take into account the tempature
scale one is using (which is not specified in the problem, but
can be assumed to NOT be kelvin, or any other ratio scale, for
obvious reasons). If using the Celcius scale, one still has
approximately 273.15 degrees left to go before reaching zero.
One way to simplify calculations is to switch to a ratio scale
(Kelvin in this case), and divide by 2, then convert back. This
process will yeild a temp of approximately -136.58C, which is
one half the heat energy, and an unlikely temperature to reach
in most locations on Earth, so, we can assume that the first
possability is the correct one.
>>Ooops, It doesn't matter. Either way, 2*0=0 so if it will be twice
as
Make that 0.5*0=0, 2*0=0 would be twice as warm. "Twice as cold"
requires that you use the recipricol.
>>cold tommorw and it is 0 today, it will *still* be 0 tommorow.
>>Farenheit, Celcius, Rankine, Kelvin, it don't matter.
As I stated above, that depends on what the original statement
intended to express, half the heat energy, or half the value of
the number expressing the temperature.
DK
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