Science Common Sense

1030 - What is the difference between a physical change and a chemical change?

Imagine you have an ice cube.

A physical change is when something changes shape or appearance, but still stays the same thing. For example, if you put your ice cube in warm water, it'll melt into water. But it's still water – it just changed from a solid (ice) to a liquid (water).

A chemical change is when something actually changes into something new and different. For example, if you burned a paper, the paper turns into ash. The paper is completely different and can't be turned back into paper anymore.