While water is in the process of freezing, what happens to its temperature?

• A. The temperature fluctuates randomly during freezing.
• B. The temperature remains constant until all the water has frozen.
• C. The temperature increases as the water freezes.
• D. The temperature steadily decreases throughout the freezing process.

Answer: (B)

Verified step by step guidance

1. Understand the concept of phase change: When a substance changes from one phase to another (e.g., liquid to solid), energy is either absorbed or released without changing the temperature.
2. Recognize that during freezing, water releases its latent heat of fusion, which is the energy required to change water from liquid to solid at constant temperature.
3. Apply the principle that during the phase change, the temperature remains constant because the energy removed from the system is used to form the solid structure rather than lowering the temperature.
4. Conclude that while water is freezing, its temperature stays constant at 0°C until all the liquid water has turned into ice.
5. After all the water has frozen, any further removal of heat will cause the temperature of the ice to decrease.