Matter — Quiz

Question 10 • Earth and Space Science

Why does the temperature remain constant at 0°C when water is freezing?

Answer

Energy is being removed, but it is used to rearrange molecules into a solid structure rather than lowering temperature.

Energy is being removed, but ice always forms at 0 °C regardless of how much energy is removed from the system.

Energy is being removed, but the molecules completely stop moving so the temperature cannot go lower.

Energy is being removed, but the thermometer cannot detect changes at such low temperatures.

Explanation

As water freezes at 0°C, energy continues to leave the water, but that energy is the latent heat of fusion. It is used to change the arrangement of the molecules from liquid water into solid ice, rather than lowering their average kinetic energy, which determines temperature. Once the water has frozen, further energy removal can lower the ice’s temperature. Therefore, choice A is correct.

AI-written and checked against the verified answer.

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