Jäätymispisteen

Jäätymispisteen is a Finnish term that translates to "freezing point" in English. It refers to the temperature at which a liquid turns into a solid at a given pressure. For water, the most commonly encountered substance, the freezing point at standard atmospheric pressure is 0 degrees Celsius (32 degrees Fahrenheit).

The freezing point of a substance is a fundamental physical property. It is dependent on the substance itself and the surrounding pressure. For most substances, the freezing point decreases slightly as pressure increases. However, water is an exception; its freezing point decreases as pressure increases, a phenomenon explained by the unique structure of ice.

Different substances have distinct freezing points. For example, ethanol freezes at -114.1 degrees Celsius (-173.4 degrees Fahrenheit), while mercury freezes at -38.83 degrees Celsius (-37.89 degrees Fahrenheit). Understanding freezing points is crucial in various scientific and practical applications, including meteorology, chemistry, and engineering, particularly in regions where low temperatures are a concern.

The concept of Jäätymispisteen is also relevant in the context of solutions. When a solute is dissolved in a solvent, the freezing point of the solution is typically lower than that of the pure solvent. This phenomenon is known as freezing point depression and is a colligative property, meaning it depends on the concentration of solute particles, not their identity. This principle is utilized in applications like de-icing roads with salt.