Question

Describe what happens to solid ice when it is heated.

Answer 1

When solid ice is heated, it melts, or changes from a solid to a liquid. The temperature at which this occurs is known as the melting point of ice, which is 0 degrees Celsius (32 degrees Fahrenheit).

As ice is heated, the temperature of the ice increases until it reaches the melting point. At this point, the solid ice begins to melt, and the temperature remains constant until all of the ice has melted. This process is known as the melting of ice, or fusion.

The heat required to melt ice is known as the latent heat of fusion. The latent heat of fusion is the amount of heat that must be added to a substance in order to cause a change of state from solid to liquid, or from liquid to solid, without changing the temperature of the substance. The latent heat of fusion of ice is approximately 334 joules per gram.