Phase Change and Enthalpy - Lesson 4

Clearing the frost off a car windshield can take some work. When the weather is really cold, sometimes it is easier to just leave the car's heater on and wait for the frost to melt. This melting process from solid to liquid is known as a phase change and involves heat transfer.

The inverse of frost melting — window icing — is another example of a phase change. Phase changes also occur when a solid converts to a  gas, a liquid to gas, a gas to liquid and so on. Phase changes are observed in many aspects of our lives.

In this lecture you will gain an understanding of the nature of a phase change, the concept of enthalpy and how heat transfer is involved in changing phases.

Lecture Video:

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Handout:

Here are the accompanying handout slides for this lesson.