– Students can make the transfer from the flow field in the cup to the general ocean circulation: Let students compare the situation in the cup with different oceanic regions (the high Arctic, the Nordic Seas, …) and argue for which of those regions displays a similar circulation or what the differences are (in terms of salinity, temperature, and their influence on density). P.S. what would happen if the ice cubes were held at the bottom of the beaker, demonstrations to increase the learning outcome, students learn a lot from designing the experiment themselves, http://www.lawrencehallofscience.org/comsci/pdfs/2_Teaching_and_Learning.pdf, http://www.usc.edu/org/cosee-west/glaciers/Ice_Cube_ExptFINAL.pdf, http://www.cesn.org/cosee_CD/web/activity/Melting_Ice.pdf, Making of my new book! The best way to answer a scientific question is to perform your own experiment, which can yield surprising results. Normal freezer temperature is around zero degrees F. For college/university students the activity can either be used in physics teaching to get a different view on density; in oceanography/Earth science to talk about ocean circulation and processes that are important there; to motivate the scientific process; or to practice writing lab reports (you can be sure that students will at some point be tasting the water to make sure they didn’t accidentally swap the salt water and fresh water cup – a great teachable moment for a) Never putting anything in your mouth in a laboratory setting, and b) Always documenting exactly what you are doing because stuff that you think you will definitely remember obviously isn’t remembered that clearly after all). Which transfer of energy occurs when ice cubes are placed in water that has a temperature of 45 degrees celsius? My experience with this experiment is that all groups behave very consistently: It is always a good idea to have plenty of spare ice cubes and salt/fresh water at room temperature ready so people can run the experiment again if they decide to either focus on something they didn’t observe well enough the first time round, or try a modified experiment like the ones described above. This hands-on experiment is suited for many different audiences and can be used to achieve a wealth of different learning goals. Water has a higher heat capacity than air, which means the different chemical compositions of the two materials also matter. The other 20% will give the correct hypothesis, but only because they expect a trick question, and they will most likely not be able to come up with an explanation. The solid phase of water is known as ice and commonly takes the structure of hard, amalgamated crystals, such as ice cubes, or loosely accumulated granular crystals, like snow. Within the Earth's atmosphere and surface, the liquid phase is the most common and is the form that is generally denoted by the word "water". What was the temperature of the water when you added the ice? Even with more ground to cover to freeze, the temperature of the hotter water can drop at a faster rate than the cooler water. Place in a bright location but avoid direct sunlight. To lower the temperature of the ice bath, try using crushed ice instead of ice cubes, and try adding more salt. Be sure to use the thermometer to check the temperature of the ice bath before testing your solutions. I used a kettle to bring water to a boil, let it cool most of the way, then brought the water to a boil again. Predictions. Important oceanographic concepts like density and density driven currents are visualized and can be discussed on the basis of this experiment. Fortunately, most of … Asking them to draw “what is happening in the cup” is a very useful indicator of how much they understand what is going on. Our outside temperature was hovering right around zero today, so some of our coloured ice cubes took longer than 10 seconds to freeze into place. At zero degrees, i.e., the temperature at which water turns into ice, the density of water is actually quite low. Temperatures in the room should remain above 55°F. Pretty light this morning over an icy lake. If they draw something close to what is shown on slide 28 of the attached slide show, they have grasped the main points. These are great ideas, too many people reach for the salt when they don’t need it. Theory. In practical terms, density is the weight of a substance for a specific volume. – Students are able to determine what kind of density-driven circulation will develop: Suggest modifications to the experiment (e.g. There are 13 known forms of ice that are stable at different temperatures and pressure. hot water can sometimes freeze faster than cold water, Ph.D., Biomedical Sciences, University of Tennessee at Knoxville, B.A., Physics and Mathematics, Hastings College. | Dr. Mirjam S. Glessmer, Fresh water or salt water? So the next time you refill your ice cube tray, try using warmer water. To conduct your own ice-melting experiment, follow these steps: The surface on which you place the ice cube will also affect the results. By using ThoughtCo, you accept our, Why Ice Melts at Different Rates in Air and Water. When you melt an ice cube in a cup of water, it's exposed to both air and water. Avoid placing near drafts. If the air and water are different temperatures, the ice may melt more quickly in the medium with the higher temperature. Part C. Cold Water. Perfect opportunity to say “try! When you look in from the top, you see that in the left cup the ice has completely melted (and the melt water sunk to the bottom), whereas in the right cup there is still ice floating on top. Helmenstine, Anne Marie, Ph.D. "Which Is Faster: Melting Ice in Water or Air?" Let kids make observations about the temperature of the water (by testing it with their fingers). Freeze two ice cubes. The difference between the answer that says 32F and the one that says 40–50F is that “iced water” isn’t a specific thing. Record the temperature of each glass of water. The size, shape, and purity of water affect how quickly ice melts, so you don't want to complicate the experiment with these variables. Cold (dark purple) ice cubes held by warm (white-ish) fingers over room-temperature (orange) cups with water. Important oceanographic concepts like density and density driven currents are visualized and can be discussed on the basis of this experiment. – Elin Darelius & Team. Then, I placed the ice cube tray in the freezer overnight. Never ever put things in your mouth in a lab!”. Before the experiment is started, students are asked to make a prediction which ice cube will melt faster, the one in salt water or the one in fresh water. Ensure that the cubes are the same size and shape and made from the same water source. The heater won’t instantly change the water temperature. Have students explicitly state their hypothesis (“the one in salt water will melt faster!”), so when they measure the time it takes the ice cubes to melt, they realize that their experiment does not support their hypothesis and start discussing why that is the case. The ice cube eject motor cycles and spins the tongs to eject the ice cubes. 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