Which term describes the temperature at which a liquid changes into a solid?

Which term describes the temperature at which a liquid changes into a solid?

• A. Melting point
• B. Boiling point
• C. Phase change
• D. Freezing point

Answer: (D)

Freezing point is the temperature at which a liquid becomes a solid. As a substance cools, its particles slow down and arrange into a fixed lattice; when the energy is low enough for intermolecular forces to dominate, the liquid solidifies. This is different from the melting point (solid turning into liquid) and the boiling point (liquid turning into gas). Phase change is the general term for these state transitions, not a specific temperature. For pure water at standard pressure, this occurs at 0°C, though impurities can lower the freezing point.

Freezing point is the temperature at which a liquid becomes a solid. As a substance cools, its particles slow down and arrange into a fixed lattice; when the energy is low enough for intermolecular forces to dominate, the liquid solidifies. This is different from the melting point (solid turning into liquid) and the boiling point (liquid turning into gas). Phase change is the general term for these state transitions, not a specific temperature. For pure water at standard pressure, this occurs at 0°C, though impurities can lower the freezing point.