Heat Of Fusion (Noun)
Meaning
Heat absorbed by a unit mass of a solid at its melting point in order to convert the solid into a liquid at the same temperature; "the heat of fusion is equal to the heat of solidification".
Classification
Nouns denoting natural phenomena.
Examples
- The heat of fusion for water is approximately 334 joules per gram at its melting point of 0 degrees Celsius.
- Ice's relatively low heat of fusion makes it seem solid at a higher temperature in the presence of air with high humidity.
- Using the principles of thermodynamics, one scientist measured the heat of fusion of various crystalline substances to compare their solid-liquid phase transitions.
- In general, a substance with a higher heat of fusion requires a greater amount of heat energy to change it from a solid into a liquid.
- Because of its heat of fusion, it takes more heat energy to melt the solid wax than it does to change its liquid state to the gaseous state.