this post was submitted on 24 Oct 2024
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Science Memes

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[–] yetiftw@lemmy.world -4 points 1 week ago (1 children)

absolute scales are still arbitrary. you would probably want to use a scale that measures "perceived heat" which is different than average kinetic energy

[–] KairuByte@lemmy.dbzer0.com 3 points 1 week ago (2 children)

Kelvin is just our word for it, but that is the point of “no heat”. It isn’t arbitrary, there is no “negative kelvin” just like you cannot make something colder than absolute zero.

So if you take the difference between “coldest possible temp” and “average summer temp”, then slice it in half, you’re getting temperatures that would kill most life on earth.

[–] frezik@midwest.social 2 points 1 week ago

Just to nitpick, there are negative kelvins. I don't really understand it, myself, but I know it exists due to the specifics of how temperature is defined. Negative kelvins are actually extremely hot.

[–] yetiftw@lemmy.world 0 points 1 week ago (2 children)

just because it has a reason doesn't make it not arbitrary. you can ultimately come up with a reason for all arbitrary decisions

[–] KairuByte@lemmy.dbzer0.com 1 points 1 week ago (1 children)

Do you not understand what the word arbitrary means?…

[–] yetiftw@lemmy.world 1 points 1 week ago

maybe you're the one who doesn't understand the ramifications of its meaning

[–] frezik@midwest.social 1 points 1 week ago (1 children)

Is there a way to distinguish between arbitrary and non-arbitrary? Or is literally everything ever arbitrary?

[–] yetiftw@lemmy.world 1 points 1 week ago (1 children)

literally every definition ever is arbitrary

[–] frezik@midwest.social 1 points 1 week ago (1 children)

Then what's the point of even calling it arbitrary? If it covers everything, then there's no reason for the word.

[–] yetiftw@lemmy.world 1 points 4 days ago

that's not true. there are things that are not definitions. like my bed for instance, there are aspects that are arbitrary (my personal preferences, design choices, etc) and aspects that are not arbitrary (its physical form that exists beyond definition)