Fasväxling

Fasväxling, often translated as phase transition, refers to a physical process where a substance changes from one state of matter to another. These changes are typically driven by alterations in temperature and pressure. The most common examples include melting, where a solid transforms into a liquid, and boiling, where a liquid becomes a gas. Conversely, freezing is the transition from liquid to solid, and condensation is the change from gas to liquid. Sublimation is another type of phase transition where a substance moves directly from a solid to a gas state without passing through the liquid phase, such as with dry ice. Deposition is the reverse process, where a gas turns directly into a solid.

During a phase transition, the substance absorbs or releases energy, known as latent heat, without a change in temperature. For instance, ice at 0 degrees Celsius will absorb heat to become water at 0 degrees Celsius, and this absorbed heat is the latent heat of fusion. Similarly, water boiling at 100 degrees Celsius absorbs latent heat of vaporization to become steam at 100 degrees Celsius. These transitions are fundamental concepts in thermodynamics and are crucial for understanding the behavior of matter in various physical and chemical processes. They occur at specific temperatures and pressures for each substance, defining critical points and phase diagrams used to represent these states.