Question
Which is needed to melt ice? - the addition of thermal energy or an increase in temperature? Please explain your answer
Answers
GPT-4o mini
To melt ice, what is needed is the addition of thermal energy, rather than just an increase in temperature.
Here's why:
1. **Phase Change**: When ice (solid water) is at 0°C (32°F), it can exist as both ice and water. To transition from ice to liquid water, the phase change must occur. This process requires energy, specifically called the latent heat of fusion. During this phase change, the temperature of the ice-water mixture remains constant at 0°C until all the ice has melted.
2. **Thermal Energy**: The addition of thermal energy to the ice allows it to break the hydrogen bonds holding the solid structure together. This energy input does not increase the temperature of the ice or the liquid water but is necessary to facilitate the melting process.
3. **Specific Heat Capacity**: The temperature of a substance can increase only after all the ice has melted and turned into water. For instance, if you continue to supply heat to the liquid water created after melting, you will then start to see an increase in temperature.
In summary, while increasing the temperature is essential for heating a substance, melting ice specifically requires the addition of energy to overcome the molecular forces holding it in the solid state, without changing the temperature during the phase transition.
Here's why:
1. **Phase Change**: When ice (solid water) is at 0°C (32°F), it can exist as both ice and water. To transition from ice to liquid water, the phase change must occur. This process requires energy, specifically called the latent heat of fusion. During this phase change, the temperature of the ice-water mixture remains constant at 0°C until all the ice has melted.
2. **Thermal Energy**: The addition of thermal energy to the ice allows it to break the hydrogen bonds holding the solid structure together. This energy input does not increase the temperature of the ice or the liquid water but is necessary to facilitate the melting process.
3. **Specific Heat Capacity**: The temperature of a substance can increase only after all the ice has melted and turned into water. For instance, if you continue to supply heat to the liquid water created after melting, you will then start to see an increase in temperature.
In summary, while increasing the temperature is essential for heating a substance, melting ice specifically requires the addition of energy to overcome the molecular forces holding it in the solid state, without changing the temperature during the phase transition.