Latent heat coefficients

Definition

Latent heat coefficients represent the amount of heat required to change the phase of a unit mass of a substance without changing its temperature. They are crucial in understanding phase changes like melting, freezing, boiling, and condensation.

5 Must Know Facts For Your Next Test

1. The latent heat of fusion is the heat required to convert a solid into a liquid at its melting point.
2. The latent heat of vaporization is the heat required to convert a liquid into a gas at its boiling point.
3. Latent heat is measured in joules per kilogram (J/kg).
4. During a phase change, temperature remains constant even though energy is being added or removed.
5. Different substances have different latent heat coefficients; for example, water has high latent heats compared to many other substances.

Review Questions

• What happens to the temperature of a substance during its phase change?
• How does the latent heat of fusion differ from the latent heat of vaporization?
• Why do different substances have different latent heat coefficients?

Related terms

Specific Heat Capacity: The amount of heat required to raise the temperature of one kilogram of a substance by one degree Celsius.

Phase Change: A transition between different states of matter such as solid, liquid, and gas.

Heat Transfer: \text{The movement of thermal energy from one object or substance to another due to a difference in temperature.}