What Makes Ice Melt the Fastest?

Pictures From the Experiment

References

www.sciencebuddies.com

www.chemicalformula.org

www.dictionary.com

www.sci-experiments.com

Variables

Independent Variables: The amount of salt, sugar, sand, water on the ice. Another is the different substances on the ice.

Dependent Variable: The amount of water in each bowl after the experiment.

Constants: The amount of ice cubes in the bowl, the amount of substance on the ice, the amount of time the substance is on the ice, and the location of the experiment.

Conclusion

My project was “What Makes Ice Melt the Fastest?” I believe that I did answer my question. The substance that makes ice melt the fastest is salt. For 20 minutes on 3 ice cubes, the average amount of water was 21.16 mL. That means out of 33 mL in 3 ice cubes, salt melted 21.16 mL of that. The 1st trial was on a white surface and the 2nd and 3rd trial were on a granite surface, and I noticed that the 2nd and 3rd trial's data were much higher. The numbers on the granite surface were significantly higher, so next time I will do it on the same surface.

Materials:

Multiple bowls

Ice cubes (at least 12)

Salt

Sugar

Water

Tablespoon measuring spoon

Masking tape

Sharpie

Hypothesis

My first hypothesis was that ice will melt the fastest with either salt or sugar on top. My 2nd hypothesis was that ice will melt the fastest with sand on top of it.

Problem

The problem is that we need to know how different substances affect the melting of ice. Slippery ice can cause car crashes on icy roads. That is why it is important to fix this.

Research:

Have you ever seen a person pouring a mixture of salt and sand on the icy roads? This experiment will prove what substance makes ice melt the fastest. From salt, sugar, and sand, I will test different substances on top of ice for 20 minutes each. What do you think will make ice make the fastest?

The first thing I researched was the chemical formulas of the substances. The first is salt. The kind I will be using is table salt, or sodium chloride. The chemical formula is NaCl, according to Chemistryformula.com. There are many more types of salt, like magnesium sulfate, MgS04. The chemical formula for water is H20. I will also use water on ice. The last thing I researched was ice. The melting point is at 32 degrees F.

But that's not all I researched. I needed to know the complete definition of melting. It is a solid becoming a liquid. Some synonyms include dissolve, thaw, or fuse. I also needed to know the definition of freeze. The definition is a liquid to be turned into ice or another solid when the temperature is extremely cold.

The last thing I researched was the different freezing and melting points of the different substances. Please refer to the graph below:

_____________________________________________________ | Name of Melting Point Freezing Point |

substance |

| |

| Salt 801° C (1743.8°F) N/A |

|_____________________________________________________| |

| |

| Water N/A 0°C(32°F) |

| |

|_____________________________________________________|

In all of my research, I believe that the ice will melt the fastest with sand on top of it. I will begin experimenting with it to find out the final answer.

Analysis

In the first trial, the salt melted the most. The sand melted the least, with only 1.5 mL. I am unclear if this would affect the data, but in the 1st trial, the bowls were on a white surface and the bowls for the 2nd and 3rd trial were on a granite surface. The numbers on the granite surface were significantly higher, so next time I will do it on the same surface.

Data

The average amount of water from the

melted ice in each bowl:

Salt: 21.16 mL

Sugar: 18.25 mL

Sand: 4 mL

Water: 14 mL

The sand absorbed some of the water, so the precise mount is unclear.

Purpose

My project is "What Makes ice Melt the Fastest?" The purpose for the project is to see the rate at which different substances, salt, sand, sugar, and water, melt ice cubes.

What Makes Ice Melt the Fastest?

By Sophie Edwards