The Race for Absolute Zero: Liquefying Gas

The video explores the concept of absolute zero, the coldest possible temperature where atomic motion ceases. It highlights the early 20th-century competition between physicists James Dewar and Heike Kamerlingh Onnes to achieve extreme cold. Dewar first succeeded in liquefying hydrogen in 1898, reaching -252°C. However, Onnes eventually surpassed him by liquefying helium in 1908, achieving -269°C, and won the Nobel Prize in 1913. The pursuit of absolute zero continues to intrigue physicists.

What is the significance of absolute zero in physics?

• It is the temperature at which water freezes.

• It is the temperature at which atoms stop moving.

• It is the temperature at which gases expand.

• It is the temperature at which metals melt.

Who were the two physicists competing to liquefy hydrogen?

• Isaac Newton and Galileo Galilei

• Marie Curie and Ernest Rutherford

• James Dewar and Heike Kamerlingh Onnes

• Albert Einstein and Niels Bohr

What was the temperature achieved by James Dewar when he liquefied hydrogen?

• -200°C

• -252°C

• -273°C

• -269°C

What was the main challenge Dewar faced in his experiments with helium?

• Inaccurate measurements

• Small scale approach

• Lack of funding

• High temperatures

In what year did Heike Kamerlingh Onnes win the Nobel Prize for his work on low temperatures?

• 1898

• 1920

• 1913

• 1908