Heating Curve Experiment
Add heat to ice and watch temperature versus time, including the flat melting and boiling plateaus.
Temperature-30 °C
StateIce
Heat added0 kJ
Time0 s
What the heat is doing–
What you can learn
- The temperature rises while heat warms a single phase (q = mcΔT).
- During melting and boiling the temperature stays flat while heat breaks attractions (q = mL).
- Boiling needs much more energy than melting because particles must fully separate.
Frequently asked questions
Why does temperature stay flat while ice melts?
The added energy goes into breaking the bonds holding the solid together rather than speeding up particles, so temperature holds until all the ice has melted.
Why is the boiling plateau longer than the melting one?
The latent heat of vaporisation of water (2260 J/g) is about seven times bigger than the latent heat of fusion (334 J/g).