Do what ! (Quality of science reporting)

Hodders

Hodders

Hodders

Soldato
Joined
18 Oct 2002
Posts
5,386
Location
Riding my bike
"From Daily Telegraph - Some time earlier this month, Nasa's Phoenix Lander slipped into a cold-induced coma in the Arctic wastes of the Red Planet. With the onset of winter, the Sun dropped low in the sky, and the temperature fell to -1,300C at night."

So that would be several hundreds of degrees lower than absolute zero then.

Am I being dull or does nobody check these things.
 
BloodyL said:
It is over 1,000C lower than absolute zero at standard atmospheric pressure, but how the atmosphere of mars works is another matter.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/h2g2/A291034
Click to expand...

That doesn't seem to make any sense. Temperature is absolute - it's (basically) a measure of the energy of atoms. The "standard atmospheric pressure" caveat in the quoted article is in the context of comparing a temperature to the boiling point of water. In a lower atmospheric pressure (which Mars is) water would boil at a lower temperature, so is actually closer to 0K than on Earth.

It seems that they've pulled the 1300 deg C figure out of their arse.

daz said:
Is that a joke? The atmosphere doesn't affect the absolute zero point. :o
Click to expand...

Or I could have just said that.
 
I always thought the definition of absolute zero was when the atoms have "zero" energy hence exerts zero pressure.

Just for the record the lowest recorded temperature on Mars is -140C

SO i think its a typo and somebody slipped in an extra zero.....still poor though as many people will beleive it
 
Greebo said:
Just for the record the lowest recorded temperature on Mars is -140C

SO i think its a typo and somebody slipped in an extra zero.....still poor though as many people will beleive it
Click to expand...

Definitely a good explanation, probably the most likely cause of the error. Unfortunately it is one of those errors that should have been very easy for the science editor or for whoever proof-reads articles before they go live to spot...
 
Hodders said:
"From Daily Telegraph - Some time earlier this month, Nasa's Phoenix Lander slipped into a cold-induced coma in the Arctic wastes of the Red Planet. With the onset of winter, the Sun dropped low in the sky, and the temperature fell to -1,300C at night."

So that would be several hundreds of degrees lower than absolute zero then.

Am I being dull or does nobody check these things.
Click to expand...

lol - genius

BloodyL said:
It is over 1,000C lower than absolute zero at standard atmospheric pressure, but how the atmosphere of mars works is another matter.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/h2g2/A291034
Click to expand...

double lol!! nice to see education standards in the uk are the same as usual.
 
aardvark said:
double lol!! nice to see education standards in the uk are the same as usual.
Click to expand...

Nice to see ocuk still willing to kick someone who is willing to step outside their knowledge base and start forming ideas, questions and generally improve their lot.
So my first idea was wrong, how is that the fault of the education system?
 
BloodyL said:
Nice to see ocuk still willing to kick someone who is willing to step outside their knowledge base and start forming ideas, questions and generally improve their lot.
So my first idea was wrong, how is that the fault of the education system?
Click to expand...

Thinking up new ideas is great, don't stop trying but there's a very definite clue in the name absolute zero as to where the minimum temperature possible will be.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom