Which term describes the temperature at which a solid changes into a liquid?

Which term describes the temperature at which a solid changes into a liquid?

• A. Freezing point
• B. Boiling point
• C. Melting point
• D. Absolute zero

Answer: (C)

Melting point is the temperature at which a solid becomes a liquid. At that point, enough energy is absorbed to break the forces holding the solid’s structure, allowing the particles to flow past one another. For a pure substance at standard pressure, this occurs at a specific temperature, marking the solid-to-liquid transition. The freezing point is the reverse: the temperature a liquid becomes a solid. The boiling point is when a liquid becomes a gas, and absolute zero is the lowest possible temperature where molecular motion essentially stops. So, the term that matches the description is melting point.

Melting point is the temperature at which a solid becomes a liquid. At that point, enough energy is absorbed to break the forces holding the solid’s structure, allowing the particles to flow past one another. For a pure substance at standard pressure, this occurs at a specific temperature, marking the solid-to-liquid transition. The freezing point is the reverse: the temperature a liquid becomes a solid. The boiling point is when a liquid becomes a gas, and absolute zero is the lowest possible temperature where molecular motion essentially stops. So, the term that matches the description is melting point.