[Fyron]

Originally posted by narf poit chez BOOM:
ah, that explains it. so, if you froze something to near 0 kelvin, you could compact it alot?

Yes, because the molecules would not hardly be moving at all. And what P-D said. The increase in heat from compacting stuff comes from the increase in the kinetic energy transfered per unit area/volume, hence increased pressure. Same amount of energy, just in a smaller area/volume. But then the increased heat causes the molecules to move faster, so they get away from each other and decrease the volume again, unless you keep them trapped. Keep in mind that temperature is a measure of the average root mean square velocity of the molecules in a given volume, which is a direct result of their average kinetic energy.

[ January 28, 2004, 05:22: Message edited by: Imperator Fyron ]