# 0 degrees kelvin **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [February 19, 2011, 10:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/0-degrees-kelvin/571901 "2011-02-19T10:32:09Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 19\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Kobal2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kobal2/32/20_2.png) [@Kobal2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kobal2)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2011, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/0-degrees-kelvin/571901/21 "2011-02-19T16:44:55Z")
> [@Ken001](#): > > I presume the OP means 0 degrees Celsius. The freezing point of water. And I presume the OP is aware people can survive snowy days 😛 ---
**Author:** ![C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b2d939/32.png) [@C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/C_K_Dexter_Haven)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2011, 4:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/0-degrees-kelvin/571901/22 "2011-02-19T16:57:35Z")
Slightly tangential, but still implying you’d have a couple of seconds: [If you were thrown into the vacuum of space with no space suit, would you explode? - The Straight Dope](http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/711/if-you-were-thrown-into-the-vacuum-of-space-with-no-space-suit-would-you-explode) ---
**Author:** ![ZenBeam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/3ab097/32.png) [@ZenBeam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZenBeam)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2011, 5:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/0-degrees-kelvin/571901/23 "2011-02-19T17:00:29Z")
> [@Crafter\_Man](#): > > It _is_ possible for something to have a temperature slightly above 0 kelvin. Like 0.0000001 K. But it’s impossible for something to have a temperature of \*precisely \*0 kelvin. It’s certainly possible to imagine something approaching 0 Kelvin. But I don’t see any justification for saying > [@](#): > > all matter should instantly disintegrate because there is no energy left holding the atoms together. ---
**Author:** ![Crafter\_Man](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crafter_man/32/458_2.png) [@Crafter\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crafter_Man)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2011, 5:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/0-degrees-kelvin/571901/24 "2011-02-19T17:05:51Z")
> [@ZenBeam](#): > > It’s certainly possible to imagine something approaching 0 Kelvin. But I don’t see any justification for saying Perhaps. At 0 K, the average kinetic energy of the atom is obviously zero. But if KE = 0, does that mean the \*total \*energy of the atom is zero? I don’t know. ---
**Author:** ![Nametag](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nametag/32/406_2.png) [@Nametag](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nametag)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2011, 5:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/0-degrees-kelvin/571901/25 "2011-02-19T17:05:54Z")
> [@jz78817](#): > > Laws of Thermodynamics, simplified: > > 1. You can’t do any better than breaking even > 2. You can’t break even except at absolute zero > 3. You can’t reach absolute zero. More succinctly put: 1. You can’t win 2. You can’t break even 3. You can’t get out of the game ---
**Author:** ![UTejas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/977dab/32.png) [@UTejas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UTejas)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2011, 5:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/0-degrees-kelvin/571901/26 "2011-02-19T17:10:46Z")
> [@Crafter\_Man](#): > > Perhaps. > > At 0 K, the average kinetic energy of the atom is obviously zero. But if KE = 0, does that mean the \*total \*energy of the atom is zero? I don’t know. No [Zero Point Energy](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zero_point_energy) ---
**Author:** ![iamnotbatman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/858c86/32.png) [@iamnotbatman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iamnotbatman)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2011, 5:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/0-degrees-kelvin/571901/27 "2011-02-19T17:12:28Z")
> [@Crafter\_Man](#): > > But if KE = 0, does that mean the \*total \*energy of the atom is zero? No. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Excellent](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f19dbf/32.png) [@Mr.Excellent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Excellent)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2011, 5:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/0-degrees-kelvin/571901/28 "2011-02-19T17:36:09Z")
> [@Nametag](#): > > More succinctly put: > > 1. You can’t win > 2. You can’t break even > 3. You can’t get out of the game Cause entropy will take it all, though it may seem a shame. That, in a nutshell, is what entropy’s about. You’re now down with the discount. Who’s down with entropy? ---
**Author:** ![ZenBeam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/3ab097/32.png) [@ZenBeam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZenBeam)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2011, 5:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/0-degrees-kelvin/571901/29 "2011-02-19T17:38:41Z")
> [@Crafter\_Man](#): > > Perhaps. > > At 0 K, the average kinetic energy of the atom is obviously zero. But if KE = 0, does that mean the \*total \*energy of the atom is zero? I don’t know. The atom still has mass. E = MC^2, right? Being at 0 Kelvin means the atom is in its ground state, but not that it has no energy. ---
**Author:** ![blindboyard](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blindboyard/32/2833_2.png) [@blindboyard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blindboyard)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2011, 6:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/0-degrees-kelvin/571901/30 "2011-02-19T18:37:50Z")
The OP didn’t ask how long you’d take to freeze, but how long you’d survive. Given that Oxygen would be in an unbreathable form at that temperature I don’t think the cold would kill you, you’d die of shock, suffocation or some other cause first. ---
**Author:** ![Kobal2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kobal2/32/20_2.png) [@Kobal2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kobal2)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2011, 7:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/0-degrees-kelvin/571901/31 "2011-02-19T19:02:48Z")
> [@blindboyard](#): > > The OP didn’t ask how long you’d take to freeze, but how long you’d survive. Given that Oxygen would be in an unbreathable form at that temperature I don’t think the cold would kill you, you’d die of shock, suffocation or some other cause first. I was wondering about that. Of course, at 0 K you’d just suffocate because air would be solid and you couldn’t breathe, period. But even assuming an Earth-like environment with a temperature juuuust above the condensation point of oxygen, wouldn’t the frigid gas breathed in cause extensive lung damage through frostbite, quickly followed by drowning in one’s own blood ? ---
**Author:** ![jz78817](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jz78817/32/1028_2.png) [@jz78817](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jz78817)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2011, 7:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/0-degrees-kelvin/571901/32 "2011-02-19T19:02:49Z")
> [@Nametag](#): > > More succinctly put: > > 1. You can’t win > 2. You can’t break even > 3. You can’t get out of the game I like it. ---
**Author:** ![Jenaroph](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e8c25b/32.png) [@Jenaroph](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jenaroph)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2011, 7:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/0-degrees-kelvin/571901/33 "2011-02-19T19:18:23Z")
> [@Mr.Excellent](#): > > Cause entropy will take it all, though it may seem a shame. That, in a nutshell, is what entropy’s about. You’re now down with the discount. > > Who’s down with entropy? Yeah, you know me. ---
**Author:** ![ushimitsudoki](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/e9a140/32.png) [@ushimitsudoki](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ushimitsudoki)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2011, 6:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/0-degrees-kelvin/571901/34 "2011-02-20T06:05:58Z")
This thread reminds me of the excellent NOVA program: [Absolute Zero](http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/zero/). A cool look at the quest to reach Absolute Zero. SPOILER: haven’t done it yet! ---
**Author:** ![2nd\_Law](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/2/f475e1/32.png) [@2nd\_Law](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/2nd_Law)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2011, 6:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/0-degrees-kelvin/571901/35 "2011-02-20T06:45:23Z")
> [@Mr.Excellent](#): > > Who’s down with entropy? Oh, that would be me. ---
**Author:** ![Saint\_Cad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saint_cad/32/18907_2.png) [@Saint\_Cad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Cad)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2011, 7:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/0-degrees-kelvin/571901/36 "2011-02-20T07:39:57Z")
slight hijack I suppose if I take my glove off on the Moon in a shadow. It won’t freeze quickly because of the lack of conduction and convection. Now suppose I use my bare hand to scoop up some moon dirt. What would happen? ---
**Author:** ![Ruken](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f475e1/32.png) [@Ruken](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ruken)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2011, 3:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/0-degrees-kelvin/571901/37 "2011-02-20T15:40:32Z")
> [@Saint\_Cad](#): > > slight hijack > I suppose if I take my glove off on the Moon in a shadow. It won’t freeze quickly because of the lack of conduction and convection. Now suppose I use my bare hand to scoop up some moon dirt. What would happen? Just like the liquid He vs vacuum mentioned above, your hand would freeze a lot faster. ---
**Author:** ![iamnotbatman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/858c86/32.png) [@iamnotbatman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iamnotbatman)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2011, 4:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/0-degrees-kelvin/571901/38 "2011-02-20T16:04:43Z")
> [@Ruken](#): > > Just like the liquid He vs vacuum mentioned above, your hand would freeze a lot faster. Right. And it would depend whether it was night or day on the moon! The surface gets hot during the day (it can stay somewhat warm in a shadow)! At night, it gets well below the temperature of your basic dry ice you can buy at the store. If you grab dry ice with your bare hands (note: don’t ever) and hold on tight it’s cold enough to cause very serious tissue damage fairly quickly. ---
**Author:** ![Ken001](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/43a26b/32.png) [@Ken001](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ken001)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2011, 9:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/0-degrees-kelvin/571901/39 "2011-02-20T21:38:11Z")
> [@SoulFrost](#): > > Likely to piss off your bosons, though. Isn’t that about where Bose-Einstein Condensation comes into play? I think so but that is still at a temp above Zero K. > [@UTejas](#): > > No > > [Zero Point Energy](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zero_point_energy) Thanks, didn’t know that. I admit I hadn’t considered vacuum energy but that manages to exist in space where the temp is still above Zero K. Still, we live and learn - that’s why I joined this board. 😃 Always happy to recognise mistakes. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/0-degrees-kelvin/571901.md?page=1)