Science Memes

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submitted 3 weeks ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

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[–] [email protected] 36 points 3 weeks ago (18 children)

I use this as an example for interval vs ratio; you can't halve Celsius because it's an interval scale where zero is arbitrary. Kelvin is ratio as it has an absolute zero-- you very much can halve it and doom near the entire planet next summer

[+] [email protected] -27 points 3 weeks ago (16 children)

arguably setting zero to absolute zero is just as arbitrary

[–] [email protected] 43 points 3 weeks ago (15 children)

How so? Absolute zero is the coldest possible temperature, it's physically impossible for an object to be colder. Saying that's arbitrary is like saying it's arbitrary to define 0 m/s as not moving.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 3 weeks ago* (last edited 3 weeks ago)

Every decision is arbitrary in some way. We, as humans, defined it would be better to arrange the periodic table a certain way, based on characteristics of the elements, but the characteristics chosen are arbitrary. We could've just chosen a different set for ordering, like alphabetical.

Tho, that's a correct (IIRC) yet weird usage of "arbitrary", and since language exists to talk, not to be correct, we might as well not use this definition of arbitrary and stick to what conveys information better.

Edit: I'm wrong! perhaps "correct" was the word I meant to say, not sure tho.

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