Question

Can latent heat become zero?

Answer 1

Hint: Latent heat is the hidden heat which changes the state of a substance without any change in the temperature. The heat required to change the state of a substance depends on latent heat and the mass of the substance. There are two main types of latent heat; latent heat of vaporization, latent heat of fusion.

Complete answer:
Latent heat is the heat required by a substance to change its state. The different types of latent heat are; latent heat of fusion, latent heat of vaporization.
Latent heat of fusion is the heat required to change the state of a substance from solid to liquid or heat given out when a substance changes from liquid to solid
Latent heat of vaporization is the heat required to change the state of a substance from liquid to vapour or heat given out when it changes from vapour to liquid.
The latent heat is given by-
$H=mL$
Here, $H$ is the heat
$m$ is the mass
$L$ is the latent heat
The latent heat becomes zero when the temperature or pressure attains a certain value, known as the critical temperature or pressure. The critical point is that point where two states can coexist; at that point latent heat becomes zero.
Therefore, the latent heat becomes zero at the critical point.

Note:
The latent heat is a constant quantity, it is also known as the hidden heat. The change of state takes place without changing the temperature of the substance. Latent heat is an intensive property, i.e. it does not depend on the amount or quantity of a substance.