Melting ice is considered a physical change because it does not involve any chemical reactions or the formation of new substances. According to the text, a physical change is described as "a change in the form or state of a substance without any change in its chemical composition." When ice melts, it undergoes a phase change from a solid to a liquid, but the molecules that make up the ice (H2O) remain the same. This means that the chemical composition of the ice does not change during the melting process, distinguishing it as a physical change rather than a chemical one.
