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Article: Absolute Zero
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- Mathematics
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CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2002 The Gale Group Inc. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Absolute Zero
In mathematics, there is no smallest number. It is always possible to find a number smaller than any number given. Zero is not the smallest number because any negative number is smaller than zero. The number line extends to infinity in both the positive and negative directions. However, when measuring things, it is often necessary to have a smallest number. If a car is stopped, it cannot go any slower. The temperature scale also has a lowest possible temperature, called "absolute zero." This is somewhat confusing, because temperatures measured on either the Fahrenheit or Celsius temperature scales are often negative. In some countries, temperatures below zero are quite ...
Related newspaper, magazine, and journal articles:
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Article: Absolute zero?(STONE COLUMN)(Column)
Stone World;
March 1, 2009 ;
700+ words
...OK, so "absolute zero" is actually a scientific term ... as in "The Dow closed today at absolute zero.") Seriously, when I ask people ... but has it reached the point of "absolute zero?" Each month, Stone World publishes ...
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