Question

If you place \({{\rm{0}}^{\rm{o}}}{\rm{C}}\) ice into \({{\rm{0}}^{\rm{o}}}{\rm{C}}\) water in an insulated container, what will happen? Will some ice melt, will more water freeze, or will neither take place?

Short answer

At \({{\rm{0}}^{\rm{o}}}{\rm{C}}\), the amount of ice melted and the amount of frozen water are the same.

Step-by-step solution

Define freezing point and melting point

The temperature at which a liquid transform into a solid is called the "freezing point," and the temperature at which a solid transform into a liquid is called the "melting point." The melting point and boiling point of a substance are the same. The melting point of ice and the freezing point of water is \({{\rm{0}}^{\rm{o}}}{\rm{C}}\).

Describe what happens in this scenario.

In this scenario, the temperature is set at\({{\rm{0}}^{\rm{o}}}{\rm{C}}\). Since this is the melting point, the ice will change into water. This is also the freezing point of water, so water will turn into ice. Therefore, the amount of water transformed into ice and the amount of ice transformed into water is the same.

So, the melting of ice and the freezing of water takes place at the same rate.