Heat which causes a change of state is _____.

The term "latent heat" refers to the heat energy required to change the state of a substance without changing its temperature. This phenomenon occurs during phase transitions, such as when ice melts into water or when water vaporizes into steam.

In these processes, heat is added to or removed from the substance, but the temperature remains constant throughout the transition until the entire substance has changed state. For example, when ice melts, it absorbs latent heat from the environment to break the bonds between the water molecules, resulting in the transformation to liquid water.

Understanding latent heat is crucial in HVAC systems, as it plays a vital role in processes like evaporation and condensation, which are fundamental to refrigeration and air conditioning systems. The other concepts such as sensible heat, specific heat, and convection heat involve different mechanisms of heat transfer or storage and do not specifically relate to changes in state.