Wednesday, August 5, 2015

What is it called when a liquid has released enough energy?

This question is somewhat ambiguous as the phrase “enough energy” can have various meanings.  We are left to ask “enough energy for what?”  Perhaps the most likely answer is that, when a liquid releases enough energy, it is called freezing.
Scientifically speaking, heat is a type of energy.  Everything in the universe has this energy to some extent.  Heat is created when molecules and atoms vibrate and move.  The more movement there is, the hotter the substance will be.
The three main states of matter are gasses, liquids, and solids.  Gases generally have the highest amount of energy, which means that they are the hottest forms of matter.  When they release enough energy, they cool down and become liquids.  The molecules and atoms in liquids are moving and vibrating, but with less energy than those in gasses.  When liquids lose enough energy, their molecules and atoms move around less and less.  Eventually, they lose enough energy that they become a solid.  When they do that, we say that the liquid has frozen.
Thus, one possible answer is to say that that, when a liquid has lost “enough energy” is has frozen.
https://van.physics.illinois.edu/qa/listing.php?id=1626

No comments:

Post a Comment

Why is the fact that the Americans are helping the Russians important?

In the late author Tom Clancy’s first novel, The Hunt for Red October, the assistance rendered to the Russians by the United States is impor...