Hármaspont

Hármaspont is a Hungarian term that translates to "triple point" in English. It refers to a specific temperature and pressure at which a substance can coexist in all three states of matter: solid, liquid, and gas. This unique condition occurs when the Gibbs free energy of each phase is equal. For water, the triple point is at 273.16 Kelvin (0.01 degrees Celsius) and 611.657 Pascals (about 0.006 atmospheres). This precise and reproducible value makes the triple point of water an important standard for temperature calibration. Other substances also have their own characteristic triple points, which are determined by their unique molecular properties and intermolecular forces. Understanding the triple point is crucial in various scientific fields, including thermodynamics, physical chemistry, and material science, as it helps define phase diagrams and predict the behavior of substances under different conditions.