Is it possible to have a perfect vacuum

By definition, a vacuum is a volume that contains little or no matter. Any region with fewer particles than air at atmospheric pressure is a vacuum. Familiar examples of imperfect vacuums include vacuum cleaner suction, the interior of an incandescent bulb, and the atmosphere of the Moon.

One way of forming a vacuum is using suction. Suction pulls particles out of a region. For example, the motor on a vacuum cleaner powers a fan that sucks up air and small objects. If you attach a vacuum cleaner to a rigid container, like a plastic bottle, you empty some of its air. The other way of forming a vacuum is by expanding the volume of a fixed amount of matter.

Expanding the volume infinitely produces a perfect vacuum. Researchers achieve near-perfect vacuums using multiple vacuum pumps. But, there are other considerations, too. As pressure falls, the walls of the container experience outgassing.

Outgassing is when water, air, or other molecules trapped on the surface evaporate or sublimate. Using a desiccant or baking the container helps. Stack Overflow for Teams — Collaborate and share knowledge with a private group. Create a free Team What is Teams? Learn more. Why is it impossible to have a perfect vacuum? Ask Question.

Asked 6 years, 9 months ago. Active 5 years, 8 months ago. Viewed 22k times. Improve this question. Community Bot 1. If you mention "another question" it's much more helpful if you include a link. This isn't pedantic. For example, Physicists and philosophers and philosocists disagree on the concept of nothing so, as a start, define your terms.

Add a comment. Active Oldest Votes. Improve this answer. Selene Routley Selene Routley Maybe that distinction should be made clear. Also, if you decrease the temperature to absolute zero to remove the blackbody radiation, then it becomes harder to remove the last of the volatile components.

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