Water triple point?

Question

I’m five, and I’d like a simple way of understanding water’s triple point.

In: 0

Answer 1

Water’s state (solid/liquid/gas) is dependent on two things-pressure and temperature. State-temp relationships at normal atmospheric presure are pretty intuitive – solid below 0°C, liquid from 0°- 100°C, and vapor above that.

Lower pressures decrease the boiling point. This is why some baking recipes change for high-altitude locations. If you continue to lower and lower the pressure, then eventually the boiling point reaches 0°C. This matching of pressure and temperature at which all three states of matter can exist at once is the triple point