What is defined as the energy transferred to a substance while it changes state?

Latent heat is the energy transferred to a substance while it undergoes a change of state without changing its temperature. This energy is necessary for processes such as melting, freezing, boiling, or condensing. For example, when ice melts into water, latent heat is absorbed, allowing the phase transition while the temperature remains constant until the entire substance has changed state.

The concept of latent heat is critical in various applications in aviation, such as understanding how temperature changes can affect aircraft performance and the environment around them. Specific heat refers to the amount of heat required to change the temperature of a unit mass of a substance by one degree Celsius, which is different from latent heat because it involves a change in temperature rather than a change in state. Thermal energy encompasses the total kinetic energy of particles in a substance and is not limited to energy related to state changes. Caloric energy is an older term that is less commonly used in modern physics, often referring to the idea of heat being a fluid rather than a form of energy transfer as understood today. Therefore, focusing on latent heat provides a clear understanding of energy changes during state transitions.