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From: edp@jareth.enet.dec.com (Eric Postpischil (Always mount a scratch monkey.))
Newsgroups: comp.sys.handhelds
Subject: Re: Wind Chill Index
Message-ID: <19438@shlump.nac.dec.com>
Date: 25 Jan 91 13:52:18 GMT
References: <1991Jan25.004430.19802@portia.Stanford.EDU> <15458@ogicse.ogi.edu> <27838cb8:1544.3comp.sys.handhelds;1@hpcvbbs <1991Jan24.082451@ultnix.enet.dec.com>
Sender: newsdaemon@shlump.nac.dec.com
Reply-To: edp@jareth.enet.dec.com (Eric Postpischil (Always mount a scratch monkey.))
Organization: Digital Equipment Corporation
Lines: 23

In article <1991Jan25.004430.19802@portia.Stanford.EDU>,
mcgrant@elaine23.stanford.edu (Michael Grant) writes:

>Do you realize that when Mr. Horn writes 'absolute zero' he means -273C
>or so, the point where all random kinetic energy is eliminated?  Where
>everything including helium freezes, where no life could possibly exist?

The sentence as written does not describe a logical impossibility.  It refers
not to the person feeling like they are at absolute zero but the air feeling to
the person as if the air were absolute zero.

To see how this is possible, consider the rate at which heat would be lost from
a person's body if the air were still but it were at absolute zero.  There would
be some finite rate at which heat would be conducted away from the person.

Now consider that if air is moving, it is possible that heat might be
transferred from the person at an even higher rate.  Thus, the feeling of cold
moving air is even colder than still air at absolute zero.


				-- edp (Eric Postpischil)
				"Always mount a scratch monkey."
				edp@jareth.enet.dec.com