A physical change is a change that affects the form or physical properties of a substance without altering its chemical composition or identity. During a physical change, the substance may change in size, shape, state (such as melting, freezing, or evaporating), color, texture, or volume, but no new substances are formed and the molecules themselves remain the same
. Key characteristics of physical changes include:
- The chemical composition of the substance remains unchanged.
- Physical changes can often be reversed by physical means (e.g., water evaporating and then condensing back to liquid).
- Examples include breaking a chocolate bar, melting ice, tearing paper, dissolving sugar in water, and tempering steel
- Physical changes involve changes in physical properties such as shape, size, color, texture, and state of matter, but no chemical bonds are broken or formed
In summary, a physical change modifies how a substance looks or feels but does not change what the substance fundamentally is chemically
