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Physics 21 Online
OpenStudy (anonymous):

how does am ice cube melt lv7

OpenStudy (anonymous):

OpenStudy (safari321):

The strictly technical and pedantic answer to your question: An ice cube doesn't melt at room temperature, it will stay at 0 degrees Celsius (33 degrees Fahrenheit) until the ice is completely melted. Only when the ice is completely melted will the temperature of the system rise. This is because of all the energy put into the ice is consumed in converting the ice from solid water to liquid water. The latent heat of fusion/melting of water is 80 Joules per gram (it takes 80 joules to melt or freeze one gram of water). An ice cube melts at room temperature because it tries to come into thermal equilibrium with it's environment. Heat flows into the ice, which increases the total energy of the ice. The molecules in the solid water start to vibrate faster and they get enough energy to break free of the electromagnetic attraction that holds the solid water molecules together. After these electromagnetic bonds break, the water becomes fluid. If you heat water to it's boiling point the same process occurs. The molecules vibrate enough and get so much energy that they can overcome the force of atmospheric pressure and the water molecules escape into the atmosphere.

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