When a substance melts, does the potential energy of its molecules increase?

Question

When a substance melts, does the potential energy of its molecules increase?

Answer 1

The answer is yes, and there are two good explanations for it.

1.  When a substance goes through a phase change the kinetic energy remains constant (temperature), since you put heat energy into it to cause the phase change, the energy must translate to something else and that something else is potential energy.  So your potential energy goes up.

2.  When something melts, the molecules have more spacing between themselves, and potential energy for electromagnetic energy is the charge divided by separation.  A larger separation will therefore mean more potential energy.  

Gravity is a good corollary to this, if you lift up a weight, it has potential energy, if you lift it higher, it has more.  Likewise, if you pull molecules apart from each other, they get more potential energy.  

Answer 2

research this topic and you will find your answer!!!!  good luck....

http://www.answers.com/topic/melting-poi...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Melting

http://www.geocities.com/aimarie2000/how...

http://userpages.umbc.edu/~tokay/chapter...

http://www.journalof911studies.com/volum...

http://www.letusfindout.com/answers/scie...

http://www.aisp.net/vster/properties1.ht...