| Questions | 5 |
| Topics | Autonomic Nervous System, Base Units, Kelvin Scale, The Sun, Thermosphere |
Part of the peripheral nervous system, the autonomic nervous system regulates involuntary activity in the heart, stomach, and intestines.
| Measurement | Base Unit | Example |
|---|---|---|
| length / distance | meter (m) | km |
| mass | gram (g) | kg |
| volume | liter (L) | mL |
| volume (medical) | cubic centimeter (cc) | cc |
| time | second (s), minute (min), hour (h) | ms, min, h |
| temperature | centigrade (°C) | °C |
In contrast to the Celsius scale (measured in degrees centigrade) that fixes 0° at the freezing point of water and the Fahrenheit scale that uses 32°, the Kelvin scale fixes 0° at absolute zero (-273°C) which is the lowest temperature possible in the universe.
The Sun is a G-type main-sequence star (G2V) but is informally known as a yellow dwarf star. Composed of 73% hydrogen and 25% helium, the hot plasma that makes up the Sun reaches 9,900°F (5,505°C) at the surface. It formed approximately 4.6 billion years ago and makes up 99.86% of the mass in the solar system.
Temperatures again increase with altitude in the thermosphere which is the hottest (4,530 °F / 2,500 °C) atmospheric layer due to direct exposure to the Sun's radiation. However, the gas in this layer is highly diluted so even though the atoms of gas may be very high in temperature, there are too few of them to effectively transfer much heat.