supercooling

physics
Also known as: undercooling

Learn about this topic in these articles:

amorphous solids

clouds

condensation

  • argon phase diagram
    In liquid: Phase diagram of a pure substance

    …cleaned, such nuclei remain; a subcooled vapour is unstable and will ultimately condense. It is similarly possible to superheat a liquid to a temperature where, though still a liquid, the gas is the stable phase. Again, this occurs most readily with clean liquids heated in smooth vessels, because bubble formation…

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frozen foods

precipitation

river ice

  • Heat flow through an ice cover (see text).
    In ice in lakes and rivers: Ice particles

    …below freezing—a phenomenon known as supercooling. Typically the maximum supercooling that is observed is only a few hundredths of a degree Celsius. At this point the introduction of ice particles from the air causes further nucleation of ice in the flow. This freezing action releases the latent heat of fusion,…

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