<p>What happens to the potential energy of ice while it melts? Explain.</p>
<p>well my guess is that it increases (while kinetic energy remains constant), but i dont know how to explain this.</p>
<p>hmm...I'm no expert in chemistry, but i'm pretty sure, using a certain definition, kinetic energy is synoymous with temperature. KE=Temperature=speed of particles</p>
<p>the kinetic energy would increase. I have no clue about the potential.</p>
<p>^Thats what I was thinking... i am pretty good at chemistry but don't remember PE on the AP chem test at all.</p>
<p>If KE were to increase then PE would decrease since KE + PE = ME in which ME is constant. At least thats how its done in physics :]</p>
<p>@skp21: i believe you're referring to SHM.</p>
<p>mmkay's reasoning is right but his conclusion is wrong.</p>
<p>When ice melts, it's temperature remains constant so there is no increase in kinetic energy. The heat that is supplied to convert ice to water is used to increase the distance between the molecules and thereby increases its potential energy. The OP had it right. BTW, is this AP Chem?</p>
<p>yeah its for AP chem. The answer was that kinetic energy does remain constant because there is no temperature change, whereas potential energy increases in order to overcome intermolecular forces for the ice to melt into a liquid. </p>
<p>So basically you were right fuzzy logic :) thanks.</p>