When water goes from a solid to a liquid, the thermal energy increases. This is because the temperature of the water increases, and with higher temperature comes higher thermal energy. As the solid ice absorbs heat energy from its surroundings, the molecules gain enough energy to break their rigid arrangement and start moving more freely. This phase transition process is known as melting. The thermal energy is used to overcome the intermolecular forces that hold the water molecules together in a solid lattice structure. Once these forces are overcome, the water molecules can move past each other, resulting in the liquid state. Therefore, the increase in thermal energy during this phase change is responsible for the conversion of solid ice to liquid water.
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