latent heat
Hidden transformation energy
Latent heat is the energy absorbed or released when a substance changes phase—solid to liquid, liquid to gas, or the reverse—without changing temperature.
Ice at 0°C requires substantial heat to become water at 0°C; that energy breaks molecular bonds rather than raising the thermometer.
The concept explains why sweating cools: evaporating water carries latent heat away from skin.
Solid-to-liquid transition
- freezingExtremely cold
- evaporationLiquid turning to gas
- condensationVapor turning to liquid
- sublimationSolid to gas directly
boiling · solidification · vaporization · liquefaction · deposition · crystallization · fusion · steam
Thermodynamic total heat quantity
- vaporizationConversion to gas
- fusionJoining into unity
- calorimetryMeasuring heat in reactions
- joulesSI energy units
kilocalories · isothermal · thermogram · caloric · entropy · thermal equilibrium · endothermic · exothermic
Heat transfer through contact
- convectionHeat transfer via motion
- radiationEnergy propagation through space
- insulationThermal transfer prevention
- coolingLosing thermal energy
warming · flux · diffusion · absorption · release · refrigeration · air conditioning · HVAC
Heat removal for preservation
- air conditioningIndoor cooling system
- steam engineThermal vapor motor
- distillationPurification via vaporization
- weather systemsOrganized atmospheric phenomena
cloud formation · hurricanes · sweating · ice packs · cooking · boiling water · freeze-drying · cryogenics
melting
Solid-to-liquid transition
- freezingExtremely cold
- evaporationLiquid turning to gas
- condensationVapor turning to liquid
sublimation · boiling · solidification · vaporization · liquefaction · deposition · crystallization · fusion · steam · dewpoint
enthalpy
Thermodynamic total heat quantity
- vaporizationConversion to gas
- fusionJoining into unity
- calorimetryMeasuring heat in reactions
joules · kilocalories · isothermal · thermogram · caloric · entropy · thermal equilibrium · endothermic · exothermic · absorbed
conduction
Heat transfer through contact
- convectionHeat transfer via motion
- radiationEnergy propagation through space
- insulationThermal transfer prevention
cooling · warming · flux · diffusion · absorption · release · refrigeration · air conditioning · HVAC
refrigeration
Heat removal for preservation
- air conditioningIndoor cooling system
- steam engineThermal vapor motor
- distillationPurification via vaporization
weather systems · cloud formation · hurricanes · sweating · ice packs · cooking · boiling water · freeze-drying · cryogenics · power plants
- enthalpy
- energyelectricity, power, oil, fuel, gas
- climateclimate change, climate, weather, global warming, temperature
- meteorologyweather, rain, wind, snow, clouds
- heatthermal energy, radiation, convection, insulators, conductors
- Physics quantitiesacceleration, amplitude, area, current, distance
heat, heated, heating, heater, reheat, latent, heats, preheat, overheated