Latent Heat
If you put water in the freezer, you'll end up with ice. If you leave ice on your countertop, you'll end up with liquid water. You've almost certainly seen these phase changes in your everyday experience. But there's more to freezing and melting than meets the eye, and we can use these seemingly simple phenomena to make buildings significantly more energy efficient. In this video, we'll explain the concept of "latent heat" and see how it can dramatically reduce heating and cooling costs in homes and skyscrapers alike. This video is part of the Conservation video series. In order to analyze or modify a system, it is important to understand how the laws of conservation place constraints on that system. Hi. My name is Stephen Ray and I am a graduate student in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at MIT. My research in the Building Technology Lab under the guidance of Professor Leon Glicksman focuses on energy efficient buildings. In order t...