What is latent heat defined as?

What is latent heat defined as?

• A. Temperature change in a substance
• B. Heat transfer during a phase change without temperature change
• C. Heat retained by a substance at a constant pressure
• D. Energy required to melt a solid substance

Answer: (B)

Latent heat is specifically defined as the amount of heat energy absorbed or released by a substance during a phase change without causing a change in temperature. This means that when a substance undergoes a transition from one state to another—such as melting, boiling, or condensing—it absorbs or releases heat while maintaining a constant temperature. For example, when ice melts to water, it absorbs latent heat from the environment, but its temperature remains at 0°C until all the ice has melted. This concept is crucial in understanding thermal dynamics in various applications, such as refrigeration and heating processes, where energy must be transferred for phase changes to occur without directly raising or lowering the temperature. The other options do not adequately capture the essence of latent heat as they either refer to changes in temperature or to specific energy requirements for certain state changes without acknowledging the broader concept of phase change with constant temperature.

Latent heat is specifically defined as the amount of heat energy absorbed or released by a substance during a phase change without causing a change in temperature. This means that when a substance undergoes a transition from one state to another—such as melting, boiling, or condensing—it absorbs or releases heat while maintaining a constant temperature. For example, when ice melts to water, it absorbs latent heat from the environment, but its temperature remains at 0°C until all the ice has melted.

This concept is crucial in understanding thermal dynamics in various applications, such as refrigeration and heating processes, where energy must be transferred for phase changes to occur without directly raising or lowering the temperature. The other options do not adequately capture the essence of latent heat as they either refer to changes in temperature or to specific energy requirements for certain state changes without acknowledging the broader concept of phase change with constant temperature.