Quick Scoop: what is freezing

Freezing is the process where a liquid turns into a solid when it loses heat and reaches its freezing point.

Simple meaning

In everyday terms, freezing is what happens when water becomes ice. For water, that happens at 0°C or 32°F under normal conditions.

How it works

When a liquid cools down, its particles move more slowly and come closer together. Once enough heat is removed, the liquid locks into a solid structure.

A few quick facts

• Freezing is a phase change from liquid to solid.

• The freezing point is the temperature where that change happens.

• Some substances do not freeze and melt at exactly the same temperature, though many do.

Example

A simple example is water in a freezer: it gradually loses heat, becomes cold enough to freeze, and turns into ice.

Extra note

“Freezing” can also mean “very cold” in everyday English, like saying “It’s freezing outside,” but the scientific meaning is the liquid-to-solid change.

Bottom line: freezing is when a liquid loses enough heat to become a solid.

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