Final answer:
Yes, the substance on the truck likely experienced a phase change. The cold temperatures typically lead to freezing, but the fact that it was a gas in the morning indicates a phase change potentially due to sublimation.
Step-by-step explanation:
The truck was carrying a substance which, despite the cold, was found to be a gas in the morning, suggesting that a phase change may have occurred. During a phase change, a substance alters its state—solid to liquid to gas—with energy transfer playing a crucial role. Adding heat to a substance can convert it from solid to liquid (melting) and from liquid to gas (vaporization), while removing heat can change it from gas to liquid (condensation) or from liquid to solid (freezing).
In this scenario with the truck parked overnight in the cold, if the substance started as a liquid and then turned into a gas, the process known as sublimation may have taken place. Sublimation occurs when a substance changes directly from a solid to a gas without passing through the liquid phase—this requires energy, usually in the form of heat. However, as the environment was cold, the energy may have come from the surroundings or internal reserves, leading to sublimation or just a continuation of the gas state from before the truck parked.
Therefore, based on the evidence provided, if the environment was cold enough to cause a substance to freeze but the substance was found to be a gas, a phase change occurred, likely sublimation or maintained vaporization. The fact that the substance was found as a gas in the morning confirms that it did not revert to a liquid or solid state despite the cold temperatures, likely due to the substance's unique properties and the conditions of the situation.