Define and explain the latent heat of fusion.
Difficulty: Medium
Latent heat of fusion:
The heat energy required to change a unit mass of a substance from solid to liquid state at its melting point without a change in its temperature is called its latent heat of fusion.
It is denoted by H_f.
H_f = $\frac{( \triangle Q_{f})}{(m)}$
Or $\triangle Q_{f}$= $m H_{f}$ ………… (i)
Ice changes at 0°C into water. Latent heat of fusion of ice is:
$3.36\times 10^{5}$ $Jkg^{-1}$. That is, $3.36 \times 10^{5}$ joule heat is required to melt 1kg of ice into the water at 0°C.
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