What type of heat causes a change of state without a change of temperature?

Latent heat is the type of heat that causes a change of state in a substance without a change in temperature. This concept is crucial in understanding phase transitions such as melting, boiling, and sublimation. For instance, when ice melts into water, it absorbs heat (latent heat of fusion) but remains at a constant temperature of 0°C during the phase change. Similarly, when water boils and turns into steam, it absorbs heat (latent heat of vaporization) without an increase in temperature at 100°C until all the water has converted to steam.

In contrast, sensible heat refers to the heat exchanged that does result in a change in temperature; specific heat defines the amount of heat required to raise the temperature of a substance, and conduction heat pertains to the direct transfer of heat through materials. Each of these does not account for the state change while the temperature remains constant, which is why latent heat is the correct answer in this context.