Stuff Changes Costume
Melting, freezing, evaporating — matter's quick changes
What this lesson covers
Why it matters
The ice cube in your glass, the water it becomes, and the steam over the kettle are the SAME stuff in three costumes — and heat is the costume department.
Predict first
Heat an ice cube. It becomes water. This change is called…
Solid → liquid is melting; liquid → solid is freezing; liquid → gas is evaporating/boiling; gas → liquid is condensing. Heat drives them forward, cooling drives them back.
- melting — correct
- freezing
- evaporating
What you do
Heat the ice step by step until it becomes steam — then cool it all the way back. Every costume change has a name.
Check yourself
Water vapour touching a cold window turns to droplets. This is…
Gas → liquid on the cold glass — the foggy window is condensation's drawing board.
Ice melts when heated because its particles…
Same particles, looser grip — the rows dissolve into a crowd.
Wet clothes on a line dry because the water…
Liquid → gas, quietly, from the surface — sunshine and breeze hurry it along.
- condensation — correct
- melting
- freezing
- jiggle harder and break out of their fixed rows — correct
- disappear
- become water particles
- evaporates into the air — correct
- freezes away
- soaks into the rope