Melting

• Melting is the change of a solid into a liquid when it is heated.
• Ice melts into water; butter and chocolate melt when warm; wax melts near a candle flame.
• Melting needs heat energy — without heat, a solid usually stays solid.
• Different solids melt at different temperatures — ice melts easily, but a metal spoon needs much more heat.

Level 1 — Core idea

Verbal: Hold an ice cube in your warm hand — it slowly turns into water because your hand gives it heat.

Symbolic: Solid + heat -> liquid (melting).

Visual: A candle flame melts the wax right below it into a shiny liquid pool before it hardens again as it cools.

Level 2 — Going deeper

Melting is one of the ways matter can change state. It always needs heat to be added to the solid.

NCERT anchor

NCERT Looking Around 3 — ice cream melting, candle wax melting during festivals.

Why does an ice cube left on a table slowly disappear into a puddle?

Step 1 — Room air is warmer than the ice.
Step 2 — The ice absorbs heat and melts into liquid water.
Answer: **The ice melts** because of the heat around it.

Does chocolate melt if left in a hot car?

Step 1 — A hot car has a lot of heat.
Step 2 — Solid chocolate absorbs this heat.
Answer: **Yes**, the chocolate melts and becomes soft/liquid.

• Name two things that melt when heated.
• What do solids need to melt?
• What state does a solid change into when it melts?
• Stretch: Why does wax near a candle flame become liquid?

Revision tip: Remember: melting = solid to liquid, always with heat added.

Open the Practice tab for graded questions on Melting.