Melting
Overview
 
"Molten" redirects here. For the Japanese company, see Molten Corporation
Molten Corporation
is a sports equipment and automotive parts company based in Hiroshima, Japan.Their football, basketball, volleyball and handball are often used for official matches, games and competitions...

; or see Molton or Moulton
Moulton
- Places in the United Kingdom :In England*Moulton, Cheshire*Moulton, Lincolnshire**Moulton Windmill*Moulton St Mary, Norfolk*Moulton, Northamptonshire**Moulton College, agricultural college**Moulton Park, industrial estate*Moulton, Suffolk...

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Melting, or fusion, is a physical process that results in the phase change of a substance from a solid
Solid
Solid is one of the three classical states of matter . It is characterized by structural rigidity and resistance to changes of shape or volume. Unlike a liquid, a solid object does not flow to take on the shape of its container, nor does it expand to fill the entire volume available to it like a...

 to a liquid
Liquid
Liquid is one of the three classical states of matter . Like a gas, a liquid is able to flow and take the shape of a container. Some liquids resist compression, while others can be compressed. Unlike a gas, a liquid does not disperse to fill every space of a container, and maintains a fairly...

. The internal energy
Internal energy
In thermodynamics, the internal energy is the total energy contained by a thermodynamic system. It is the energy needed to create the system, but excludes the energy to displace the system's surroundings, any energy associated with a move as a whole, or due to external force fields. Internal...

 of a substance is increased, typically by the application of heat or pressure, resulting in a rise of its temperature to the melting point
Melting point
The melting point of a solid is the temperature at which it changes state from solid to liquid. At the melting point the solid and liquid phase exist in equilibrium. The melting point of a substance depends on pressure and is usually specified at standard atmospheric pressure...

, at which the rigid ordering of molecular entities in the solid breaks down to a less-ordered state and the solid liquefies.
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