Absolute zero is inaccessible because it takes infinite work to reduce a temperature to that point. It always takes the same work to halve a temperature. This means that there is a potential logarithmic unit to be derived from the energy used to reduce temperature from the triple point of water to half that temperature at -136.575 degrees C.

I therefore propose that whereas exactly 136.575 units be used to cover the difference in temperature between the tripe point of water to -136.575 degrees C, a further 136.575 units cover the difference between that and -204.8625 degrees C, and so forth, and that within these intervals the temperature units gradually contract as it gets colder.

Above freezing, the reverse happens, so the old 68.2875 degrees above freezing becomes the new 137.575 units above freezing, and so on.

This would be a measure of the real energy required to do this, and also make cryogenics much more impressive. It would also make it less likely that people would talk about halving the temperature when they in fact mean halving the temperature in degrees C or F.
-- nineteenthly, Jan 14 2016

A speculation https://vernonnemit...the-balanced-t-o-e/
If negative mass exists, it will have negative temperature, which is a measure of average molecular kinetic energy. The equation for kinetic energy makes that quite obvious. [Vernon, Jan 14 2016]

[+] I would however suggest that it only be used in the ridiculously cold range, since water has little to do with it.
-- FlyingToaster, Jan 14 2016


// the tripe point of water //

It took guts to say that.
-- 8th of 7, Jan 14 2016


This already exists, and is a useful quantity in thermodynamics, but it doesn't have a fancy name and is just referred to as "beta". It is defined to be 1/(boltzmann constant * temperature in kelvin)
-- mitxela, Jan 14 2016



random, halfbakery