Final answer:
Water freezes by releasing energy and becoming solid, which is an exothermic process that lowers its entropy. At the freezing point, free energy change is zero since the system is at equilibrium. Spraying orange trees with water in freezing temperatures releases latent heat that helps protect the trees.
Step-by-step explanation:
When water freezes, it undergoes a change of state from liquid to solid, known as freezing or solidification. During this process, energy is released from the water as it transitions to a lower energy state. This involves a transfer of energy, in this case, an exothermic process where heat is given off to the surroundings. The temperature at which this change of state occurs is the freezing point of water, which is 0°C (32°F), at standard atmospheric pressure.
In terms of free energy, there's no change at the freezing point since the system is at equilibrium. The entropy of the system decreases because the molecules in ice are more orderly than in liquid water. When it comes to why farmers in Florida spray their orange trees with water when temperatures are near freezing, the water releases latent heat as it freezes, helping to protect the trees from frost damage by keeping the temperature around the trees slightly warmer.