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melting point

/ˌmɛltɪŋ ˈpɔɪnt/
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Other forms: melting points

The exact temperature at which a substance changes from solid to liquid is its melting point. The melting point of water is 32 degrees Fahrenheit — that's the temperature at which your ice cubes start to dissolve in your soda.

For most substances, the melting point is identical to the freezing point. When heat is added, ice begins to change to water at 32 degrees — and that's also where water changes to ice as the temperature drops. It's a state of equilibrium between solid and liquid forms. The melting point of steel is 2750 degrees, and lead's melting point is 621.5 degrees. You may feel you've reached your own melting point on a hot August day, but physicists would disagree.

Definitions of melting point
  1. noun
    the temperature at which a solid turns into a liquid
    synonyms: freezing point
    see moresee less
    type of:
    temperature
    the degree of hotness or coldness of a body or environment (corresponding to its molecular activity)
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