What are freezing and melting?

Find out about these reversible processes.

Freezing and melting

Solids and liquids can be changed from one state to another by heating or cooling.

Heat melts a solid and turns it into a liquid. Cooling freezes a liquid into a solid.

If ice (solid) is heated, it changes to water (liquid). This change is called melting.

If water (liquid) is cooled, it changes to ice (solid). This change is called freezing. Water freezes at 0°C

As the ice heats up, it melts and turns into water.