Melting Point
Written by Clayton Maike
The melting point of a material is an intensive physical property that indicates the temperature at which the substance transforms from a solid to a liquid or vice versa.
Properties of Matter
On the most basic level, there are two types of properties of matter: chemical and physical properties. Chemical properties are classified as those that change when the substance or material undergoes a chemical reaction involving a fundamental change in the identity of the material. On the other hand, a physical property involves only a change in appearance of the material.
For example, consider the boiling a pot of water to cook a bowl of spaghetti. After sometime, the water begins to boil and form a vapor (i.e. steam). The water that boils off as steam has undergone a physical change in appearance, thus we can consider the boiling point of a substance as a physical property.
Now consider, a loaf of bread accidentally left out after a trip to the grocery store. Over the course of a week or two, mold will form on the bread indicating a chemical change in the identity of this bread molecules. The specific property that lead to this reaction would then be considered a chemical property.
Physical Properties
Physical properties are distinguished into two subgroups: intensive and extensive physical properties.
A Mathematical Model
What are the mathematical equations that allow us to model this topic. For example [math]\displaystyle{ {\frac{d\vec{p}}{dt}}_{system} = \vec{F}_{net} }[/math] where p is the momentum of the system and F is the net force from the surroundings.
A Computational Model
How do we visualize or predict using this topic. Consider embedding some vpython code here Teach hands-on with GlowScript
Examples
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Connectedness
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History
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See also
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