Science Memes

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Half as Hot (mander.xyz)

submitted 1 month ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

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[–] yetiftw -4 points 1 month ago (1 children)

absolute scales are still arbitrary. you would probably want to use a scale that measures "perceived heat" which is different than average kinetic energy

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 month ago (2 children)

Kelvin is just our word for it, but that is the point of “no heat”. It isn’t arbitrary, there is no “negative kelvin” just like you cannot make something colder than absolute zero.

So if you take the difference between “coldest possible temp” and “average summer temp”, then slice it in half, you’re getting temperatures that would kill most life on earth.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 month ago

Just to nitpick, there are negative kelvins. I don't really understand it, myself, but I know it exists due to the specifics of how temperature is defined. Negative kelvins are actually extremely hot.

[–] yetiftw 0 points 1 month ago (2 children)

just because it has a reason doesn't make it not arbitrary. you can ultimately come up with a reason for all arbitrary decisions

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 month ago (1 children)

Do you not understand what the word arbitrary means?…

[–] yetiftw 1 points 1 month ago

maybe you're the one who doesn't understand the ramifications of its meaning

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 month ago (1 children)

Is there a way to distinguish between arbitrary and non-arbitrary? Or is literally everything ever arbitrary?

[–] yetiftw 1 points 1 month ago (1 children)

literally every definition ever is arbitrary

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 month ago (1 children)

Then what's the point of even calling it arbitrary? If it covers everything, then there's no reason for the word.

[–] yetiftw 1 points 1 month ago

that's not true. there are things that are not definitions. like my bed for instance, there are aspects that are arbitrary (my personal preferences, design choices, etc) and aspects that are not arbitrary (its physical form that exists beyond definition)