Question

Latent heat refers to the heat transfer necessary to achieve phase change (net heat input for changing solid into liquid, or changing liquid into gas) while temperature of the material remains the same (hence latent). Choose the statement below which correctly states why this heat transfer is necessary (for example, for solid-to-liquid phase change).

A. Heat is absorbed to increase the material's temperature during phase change.
B. Temperature must remain constant during phase change, necessitating heat transfer.
C. The material undergoes a chemical reaction during phase change.
D. Latent heat is only required for gas-to-liquid phase changes.

Answer 1

Latent heat refers to heat transfer required for phase changes while the temperature of the material remains constant. This transfer is necessary because the temperature needs to remain constant during these transitions.

Step-by-step explanation:

Latent heat refers to the heat transfer necessary to achieve a phase change while the temperature of the material remains constant. This heat transfer is necessary for phase changes like solid-to-liquid or liquid-to-gas because the temperature must remain constant during these transitions. For example, when a solid is heated to its melting point, the heat energy is used to break the intermolecular bonds and convert the solid to a liquid, while the temperature remains constant.