The melting point is the temperature at which a solid turns into a liquid. At this specific temperature, the particles in the solid gain enough energy to overcome the forces holding them together, allowing them to move freely. Different substances have different melting points, which can be influenced by factors such as pressure and purity. For example, the melting point of ice is 0 degrees Celsius (32 degrees Fahrenheit), while gold has a much higher melting point of about 1,064 degrees Celsius (1,947 degrees Fahrenheit). Understanding melting points is important in fields like chemistry, materials science, and engineering.