Why Latent Heat of Vaporisation is So Much Larger
Part of Specific Latent Heat — GCSE Physics
This how it works covers Why Latent Heat of Vaporisation is So Much Larger within Specific Latent Heat for GCSE Physics. Revise Specific Latent Heat in Particle Model for GCSE Physics with 13 exam-style questions and 30 flashcards. This is a high-frequency topic, so it is worth revising until the explanation feels precise and repeatable. It is section 5 of 12 in this topic. Use this how it works to connect the idea to the wider topic before moving on to questions and flashcards.
Topic position
Section 5 of 12
Practice
13 questions
Recall
30 flashcards
⚙️ Why Latent Heat of Vaporisation is So Much Larger
When a solid melts, particles only need to break free from their fixed positions — they remain close together in the liquid. The forces are weakened but not fully overcome.
When a liquid boils, particles must completely escape all attractive forces and spread to very large distances. This requires overcoming essentially ALL the intermolecular forces. That's why the latent heat of vaporisation of water (2,260,000 J/kg) is nearly 7 times greater than the latent heat of fusion (334,000 J/kg).
Real-world consequence: This is why sweating cools you so effectively — evaporation requires a very large amount of energy, which is taken from your skin, cooling it rapidly. Similarly, steam burns are more severe than boiling water burns because steam releases its large latent heat of vaporisation when it condenses on your skin.