What is the temperature of Vaccum?

Question

Heat = molecular motion
Vaccum = No Molecules

Answer 1

Temperature" is the measure of the average kinetic energy of the particles of a substance.
In the case of using a thermometer to measure temperature, the temperature of the thermometer is what is actually being seen in the measurement, we just assume that it has come to thermal equailibrium (no net flow of heat energy) with the surroundings.

Since a vacuum is totally empty (i.e. no particles), a vacuum does not have a temperature by definition.

Answer 2

Let's forget quantum phenomena for a while. Following the Zeroth law, I don't see any reason for a zero-temperature system (with matter) in a thermal bath constituted of vacuum to exchange heat with it. Now for the First law. That system could receive heat from radiation for example, but then the thermal bath wouldn't be a vacuum... That system could receive work from a push for example, but then there'd be something doing the push in the bath and it wouldn't be a vacuum... Now for the Third law. In the limit of zero temperature, entropy should approach the absolute minumum. A classical vacuum has only one state: nothing at all. So this too indicates that it must be at the temperature minimum. So I say a classical (as opposed to quantum ;-) ) vacuum is at zero temperature.

Answer 3

It depends on the Definition of vacuum you uses, if you mean that nothing and absolutely nothing exists so it has no temperature at all ... ! the Definition of temperature depends on the existence of something to measure its temperature, but if you mean Space, hence it has a real temperature which depends on the amount of radiation passing through it and the average kinetic energy of the minute matter existence. neglecting the radiation of the neighbor stars and you will find that every place in space has a flow of energy coming from every where characteristic of an early stage of the universe which is termed the cosmological background and it represents a temperature of 2.7 K with local variations + or - .

Answer 4

Temperature is a measure of energy state of matter.

There is something called "background radiation" also called zero point energy. Energy flows from "peaks" to "valleys", so if your matter started out colder than it would be if it had energy equilibrium with that background energy, it would soak up energy. Thats remarkably cold, and nothing else naturally has lower energy (although things like bose-einstein condensates with lower energy can be made in the lab).

I dont have the numbers with me right now. Im guessing its on the order of ones of degrees kelvin.

Without mass, the measure of temperature is meaningless.

You could use the mean wavelength of the microwave background, and the boltzmann energy distribution vs temperature to determine the "temperature" that matter in equilibrium with a "vacuum" has.

Answer 5

The zero point energy temperature of space is about 2.7 deg K. It is not constant, however, over the background of space. But the variance is in tenths of a degree or smaller.

Space has a temperature because it really isn't empty. One might call it space dust is everywhere. It's just that there's waaaay less stuff in space than here on Earth; so we call space a vacuum.

Good question, shows you're thinking about things.

Answer 6

Amount and type of radiation present, if any, in vacuum decides the temperature

Answer 7

The answer is in your question. It's like 0 divided by 0. Not determined, I believe ?

Answer 8

there is no set temp. look at the temp. variation in space...which is a vacuum.

Answer 9

depends .... absolutey vaccuum? complete insulation?