On May 31st in science history, one significant event occurred in 1911 when German physicist Walther Nernst introduced the third law of thermodynamics at the first Solvay Conference in Brussels, Belgium.
The third law of thermodynamics, also known as Nernst's heat theorem, states that the entropy of a perfect crystal at absolute zero is exactly equal to zero. In other words, as a system approaches absolute zero temperature (0 Kelvin or -273.15°C), its entropy, which is a measure of disorder, decreases and eventually reaches a minimum value. This minimum value is zero for a perfect crystal, in which all the atoms are arranged in a perfectly ordered lattice.
Nernst's formulation of the third law had profound implications for understanding the behavior of matter at extremely low temperatures and provided a foundation for the field of cryogenics. It also helped to establish the concept of absolute zero as the lowest possible temperature that can be achieved, a limit that is now known to be unreachable due to the laws of quantum mechanics.
The introduction of the third law of thermodynamics at the Solvay Conference was a landmark moment in the history of physics. The conference, which was the first in a series of meetings that brought together the world's leading physicists, was organized to discuss the emerging field of quantum mechanics and its implications for our understanding of the universe. Nernst's contribution to this discussion helped to establish thermodynamics as a fundamental pillar of modern physics and cemented his place as one of the great scientific minds of the early 20th century.
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