The same water, three forms
An ice cube in one hand. A cup of water in the other. Are they the same water?
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Step 1 of 4
- Ice: solid water. Cold and hard.
- Warm it. It melts into liquid water.
- Heat it more. It turns into vapour.
- Vapour has no colour. You cannot see it.
The rule
Yes, ice and water are the same water in different forms.
Heat decides the form of water. The forms are ice (solid), water (liquid) and vapour (gas).
Vapour is water as an invisible gas.
- At 0 °C, water freezes into ice. Ice melts at 0 °C too.
- At 100 °C, water boils into vapour.
- Below 100 °C, water also turns into vapour, but slowly.
In boiling water, vapour forms inside the water. It rises as bubbles.
Why this matters
Why one name for all three? Nothing is added or lost. Melt the ice and you get the same water back.
Watch out!
The white cloud over hot chai is not vapour. Vapour has no colour. The cloud is tiny drops of liquid water.