Science Fair Project

What Makes Ice Melt the Fastest?

Caitlin Higgins

Professor Smirnova

November 10, 2017

Table of Contents

Research Project Abstract	………………………………..	-- 2 --
Research Paper	………………………………..	--2--
Single Variable Experiment	………………………………..	--3 --
Introduction	………………………………..	--3 --
Relevant Background Research	………………………………..	--3 --
Problem Statement	………………………………..	-- 3--
Hypothesis	………………………………..	--4 --
Materials	………………………………..	-- 4 --
Procedures	………………………………..	-- 5--
Observations and Data	………………………………..	--6--
Analysis	………………………………..	-- 6--
Discussion	………………………………..	-- 7 --
Conclusion	………………………………..	-- 7 --
Project Recommendations	………………………………..	-- 8 --
Acknowledgements	………………………………..	-- 8 --
Works Cited	………………………………..	-- 9 --
Appendix	………………………………..	-- 9--

Abstract

I plan on exploring what makes ice melt the fastest. Winter is coming and salt is usually put down on the roads to help lower the freezing temperature of the water on the roads. I am going to be exploring if salt is in fact the best way to do this and compare my findings to the results that sugar and sand have on ice and water.

What Makes Ice Melt Faster?

Objective To determine which added material will make ice melt fastest.

Relevant Research

Background research: As with most substances, water can exist in at least three states of matter. If water is warmer than 212 degrees Fahrenheit, it takes the form of a gas, and is called water vapor. If it cools to below this temperature, it condenses into the liquid state. If the water continues to cool, it eventually turns into a solid called ice. Some substances can lower the freezing temperature of water, which will make ice revert to its liquid form. Salt is one such chemical, which is why municipalities cover frozen roads with it. As long as the temperatures are above 15 degrees Fahrenheit, the salt melts most of the snow or ice. Unlike most substances that take up less space when they freeze, ice takes up more space than an equal amount of water does. When pressure is applied to ice, it resists collapsing and melts instead. In some very specific conditions, water can be cooled below the freezing point.

III Problem Statement

Problem:If you live in a place that gets cold in the winter, you have probably seen trucks out spreading a mixture of sand and salt on the streets after a snowfall to help de-ice the road. Which substance can be added to melt ice the fastest?

IV Hypothesis

Hypothesis:	Hypothesis: If I put salt on ice, then it will melt faster.
Independent Variable	The variable is purposely changed in my experiment is the substance put on the ice (sand, salt and sugar). I will measure the response of the manipulated variable by measuring the time it takes for the substance on the ice to melt.
Dependent Variable	My dependent variable is ice melting. I will record the time it takes for ice to melt to be able to compare whether the substance put on the ice changed the melting time.
Controlled Variables	I will use ice made from the same water. I will use the same dishes and I will keep the dishes with the ice and substance in the refrigerator so the temperature is the same.

Materials: Identical bowls or saucers (4) Ice cubes (12). They should all be the same size and shape. Salt (¾ tsp.) Sugar (¾ tsp.) Sand (¾ tsp.) ¼ teaspoon measuring spoon Timer or clock Refrigerator. You will want an empty shelf that can hold all four bowls, unstacked, at the same time. 50 mL graduated cylinder, or smaller size. Large cup with a spout, such as some measuring cups. Alternatively you could use a funnel that fits in the graduated cylinder. Optional: Masking tape and a permanent marker for labeling the bowls Lab notebook

VI  Procedure (What steps did you take to accomplish this lab assignment?)

Get the salt, sugar, sand, and a measuring teaspoon. Set up the ice cubes in their bowls, and quickly add the substances to the ice cubes so that they do not melt before adding the substances. Into each of the four bowls, quickly place three ice cubes. Arrange the ice cubes so that only the corners are touching, forming a triangular shape. Carefully sprinkle ½ teaspoon (tsp.) of salt over the ice cubes in one bowl, as shown in Figure 3, below. Then sprinkle ½ tsp. of sugar over the ice cubes in another bowl, and ½ tsp. of sand over the ice cubes in the third bowl. Do not sprinkle anything over the ice cubes in the fourth bowl — it is the control group. Move each bowl to an empty shelf in the refrigerator. If any of the ice cubes no longer form a triangular shape in their bowl, gently nudge the ice cubes to make a triangle again. You are doing this experiment in the refrigerator because it is easier to see the effects of colligative properties at colder temperatures. To think about why this is, imagine melting an ice cube on a hot, paved road compared to melting it in the refrigerator. The hot temperature of the road will make all of the ice cubes melt very quickly, which makes it harder to see the relatively minor effects of colligative properties on how fast the ice cubes melt. Note the starting time in your lab notebook. Tell other people who may use the refrigerator that you are doing a science project and to not leave the refrigerator door open long as this could change the temperature of the refrigerator. Check on the ice cubes every ten minutes. Record how much liquid was in the bowl (the amount of ice melted) in the data table in your lab notebook. After recording your results, clean out and dry the cup and graduated cylinder. Alternatively, you could use a funnel instead of a cup with a spout and funnel the liquid directly into the graduated cylinder from the bowl. Calculate the total amount of water (originally in ice cube form) that was in each bowl. To do this, add the "amount melted" to the "amount remaining" for each bowl. Record the total amount for each bowl in your data table.

VII Observations/Data Recording (Record the data that is required at each step of the lab:  tables, charts, sketches, pictures, colors, smells, etc…Be specific and as detailed as possible.)

Physical Observations Log

The ice cubes with no solution did not seem to be melting. It took longer to see the melting than in the other three groups. The ice with the sand and salt appeared to be melting at the same rate. The ice with the sugar seemed to be melting as slowly as the ice with no solution. I did three trials to be able to best see the results. In all three trials, the independent and dependent variables gave similar results and findings.

VIII Analysis

Solutions used Trial 1 Trial 2 Trial 3 Average No solution 1 hour 37 minutes 1 hour 32 minutes 1 hour 36 minutes 1 hour 35 minutes Sugar 1 hour 7 minutes 1 hour 12 minutes 59 minutes 1 hour 6 minutes Salt 48 minutes 48 minutes 49 minutes 48.33 minutes Sand 54 minutes 50 minutes 52 minutes t 52 minutes

IX Discussion (Discuss what happened in the SF project.  Give details on anything that went wrong or anything that was of interest.  Answer any questions on the lab assignment sheet.)

X Conclusion (What did you learn?  What conclusions can you draw from the results of this lab assignment?  Compare and contrast the results of the experiment with your hypothesis.)

My conclusion that I infer from my data is that salt is the best solution to put on ice to make is melt the fastest. Sand is also helpful in helping ice to melt, but was not as successful as the salt. Not putting anything on the ice or using sugar were both not effective.

Recommendations

My recommendations for students or Scientist that plan on duplicating this experiment would be to have one large piece of ice instead of the small ice cubes I used. It was difficult to keep the ice cubes in place and I also think you would get more accurate results using the one large ice cube. I would also recommend freezing water in the bowls and performing the experiment to closer simulate the ice that is on the road if that if what they are interested in finding the data for. Also adding more substances to the ice could be helpful because there may be a more effective substance that can be added to the ice to make it melt faster.

References

C. Michael Hogan (2011) Sulfure, Encyclopedia of Earth, eds. A.Jorgensen and C.J.Cleveland, National Council for Science and the environment, Washington DC.

Atkins, Peter; Jones, Loretta (2008), Chemical Principles: The Quest for Insight (4th ed.), W. H. Freeman and Company, p. 236, ISBN 0-7167-7355-4

Ott, J. Bevan; Boerio-Goates, Juliana (2000), Chemical Thermodynamics: Advanced Applications, Academic Press, pp. 92–93, ISBN 0-12-530985-6

F.A. Lindemann, Phys. Z. 11 (1910) 609–614.

M. Born, J. Chem. Phys. 7 (1939) 591–601.

Science Buddies Staff. (2017, July 28). What Makes Ice Melt Fastest?. Retrieved November 3, 2017 from https://www.sciencebuddies.org/science-fair-projects/project-ideas/Chem_p049/chemistry/what-makes-ice-melt-fastest

Stuart A. Rice (15 February 2008). Advances in Chemical Physics. John Wiley & Sons. ISBN 978-0-470-23807-3.

Robert W. Cahn (2001) Materials science: Melting from Within, Nature 413 (#6856)