What happens to partials of a solid as thermal energy is added and the solid undergoes a phase change?
Define the Law of Conservation if Energy.
If someone can help me with these questions, that would be great!
To understand what happens to partials of a solid as thermal energy is added and the solid undergoes a phase change, we need to know about the Law of Conservation of Energy.
The Law of Conservation of Energy states that energy cannot be created or destroyed; it can only be transferred or transformed from one form to another. This law applies to all types of energy, including thermal energy.
When thermal energy is added to a solid, its temperature increases. As the solid undergoes a phase change, such as melting or boiling, the thermal energy supplied is used to break the intermolecular forces holding the solid together. This means that the added energy doesn't directly affect the individual atoms or molecules of the solid, but instead disrupts the cohesive forces between them.
During a phase change, the temperature of the solid remains constant despite the continuous addition of thermal energy. This is because the added energy is being used to overcome the intermolecular forces rather than increasing the temperature.
Once the solid has completely undergone the phase change and transformed into a different phase, any further addition of thermal energy will once again cause the temperature to increase.
In summary, as thermal energy is added to a solid undergoing a phase change, the energy is primarily used to break the intermolecular forces holding the solid together, resulting in a constant temperature during the phase change.