Final answer:
The melting temperature (or freezing temperature) is the point at which the solid and liquid phases of a substance coexist in equilibrium, such as water at 0°C.
The correct answer is C.
Step-by-step explanation:
The melting temperature (or freezing temperature) is the temperature at which, under a specified pressure, the solid and liquid phases of a substance coexist in equilibrium. This means that, at the melting point, the processes of melting and freezing occur at equal rates, and the amount of substance in the solid phase and liquid phase remains constant. As an example, for water, the equilibrium between ice (solid phase) and liquid water occurs at 0°C, which is both its melting and freezing point.
It's critical to understand that the term 'melting point' or 'freezing point' depends on the direction of the state change being considered - whether a substance is transitioning from a solid to a liquid (melting), or from a liquid to a solid (freezing).