Answer:
The confusion arises from a misunderstanding of how temperature scales work and how temperatures are added.
Temperature is a measure of the average kinetic energy of particles in a substance, but the scales (Celsius, Kelvin) are not directly additive in the same way that distances or weights might be. Here’s a clearer explanation:
- **Celsius to Kelvin Conversion**: The Kelvin scale is an absolute temperature scale starting at absolute zero, which is -273.15°C. The conversion between Celsius (°C) and Kelvin (K) is:
\( K = °C + 273.15 \)
- **Addition of Temperatures**: When you add 0°C to 0°C, you are essentially keeping the temperature the same (0°C). The operation does not translate directly to the Kelvin scale because you are not doubling the temperature in an absolute sense, but rather combining two identical temperature readings.
Here’s why \( 0°C + 0°C \) does not equal 546.3 K:
1. **Conversion of 0°C to Kelvin**:
\( 0°C + 273.15 = 273.15 K \)
2. **Adding 0°C to itself**:
\( 0°C + 0°C = 0°C \)
This remains 0°C, which still converts to 273.15 K.
If you were to add two temperatures directly in Kelvin:
- \( 273.15 K + 273.15 K = 546.3 K \)
But this is not the same as adding temperatures in Celsius.
**Key Point**: Temperature scales (Celsius and Kelvin) measure the same physical quantity but offset by a constant value (273.15). Adding temperatures in Celsius does not compound the absolute temperature in Kelvin in a linear additive way. Instead, it would mean combining two identical temperature conditions, not doubling the absolute temperature.
So, \( 0°C + 0°C = 0°C \) which is \( 273.15 K \), not \( 546.3 K \).
