The fact that heat capacity is zero as temperature approaches zero cannot be used as a statement of the third law of thermodynamics

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  • School for Theoretical Physics of College of Physics and Electronics, Hunan University, Changsha, Hunan 410082, China

Received date: 2025-07-10

  Revised date: 2025-12-15

  Online published: 2026-08-06

Abstract

In 2006, Zhu Ru-zeng published an article in this journal arguing that the zero limit of heat capacity at absolute zero cannot be derived from Nernst’s theorem; in 2024, an article published in this journal (2024, 43(6):3) opposed this conclusion, claiming that the Nernst’s theorem and the statement of vanishing of heat capacity at absolute zero are equivalent. This article demonstrates why Zhu Ru-zeng’s article is correct, and further discusses why the fact that heat capacity is zero as the temperature approaches zero cannot be used as a statement of the third law of thermodynamics.



Cite this article

LIU Quanhui . The fact that heat capacity is zero as temperature approaches zero cannot be used as a statement of the third law of thermodynamics[J]. College Physics, 2026 , 45(5) : 1 . DOI: 10.16854/j.cnki.1000-0712.250354

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