What Is Latent Heat?
Hidden heat that water absorbs when it evaporates or melts and releases when it condenses or freezes. It powers thunderstorms and hurricanes. In technical terms: The energy absorbed or released during a phase change at constant temperature: about 2.5 million J/kg for vaporization, 0.334 million J/kg for fusion and 2.83 million J/kg for sublimation; condensational heating fuels moist convection and tropical cyclones.
Latent Heat In Plain English
Hidden heat that water absorbs when it evaporates or melts and releases when it condenses or freezes. It powers thunderstorms and hurricanes.
The Technical Definition
The energy absorbed or released during a phase change at constant temperature: about 2.5 million J/kg for vaporization, 0.334 million J/kg for fusion and 2.83 million J/kg for sublimation; condensational heating fuels moist convection and tropical cyclones.
Lessons That Use Latent Heat
- What Air Is And How The Atmosphere Is Layered Unit 1: The Atmosphere
- Sunlight, Radiation And The Energy Budget Unit 2: Energy And The Sun
