Ice Cube Keeper Project

Keep It Cool

(Homemade Ice Cube Keeper Challenge)

ICE CUBE KEEPER PACKET

Objective: To preserve an ice cube for as long as possible using student-created insulation devices.

FINAL SUBMISSION GUIDELINES

SAMPLE SUMMARY

Materials Needed:

1. You may use any naturally occurring or man-made material as part of your insulator.
2. You may not use any commercial device for keeping things cold or frozen like a thermos or cooler. No freezing ice packs each night either.
3. You may not use extra ice!
4. Plastic milk jugs, styrofoam boxes and cups, shoeboxes, and plastic buckets are some good items to use as a base for your ice cube keeper.
5. A roll of masking tape or duct tape.
6. A watch or clock.
7. A pencil or paper to record results.
8. Uniform sized ice cube provided by class.

Procedure:

1. Build an insulator from your materials to keep an ice cube from melting too quickly.
2. Place an ice cube on a room temperature plate. Record the time it takes to melt completely.
3. Place a second ice cube in your insulator and record the time it takes to melt completely. (Hint: design your insulator so you can observe your cube without disturbing it very much. The less you handle it, the longer it lasts.
4. Make one modification to your insulator to improve its performance and repeat step three. You may redesign the insulator or use different materials based on your results from the first trial.
5. Try building your ultimate insulator and repeat step three a third time. (This is optional work to earn an A.)

BEGIN WITH RESEARCH...

Thinking Questions --- each topic should have a separate paragraph:

Ice Harvesting:

• Before the days of refrigeration, ice harvesting was a big business. Where did ice companies get their supplies of ice for summer demand? Be specific. How important was it that ice floats? How did ice companies get their ice supply to last throughout the summer and fall seasons?

Ice Shipping:

• When ice was shipped down south, how did they keep it from melting on the ships that carried it? What was the best insulation material to keep their ice from melting? Where did they get it? How was ice shipped across the country?

Before Refrigeration:

• How did average people keep things cold? What did people do before refrigeration? When was refrigeration invented? When did home mechanical refrigerators become available?

Points to Think About:

• How does ice change as it melts? Would it be best to have your ice cube surrounded by water or drained off? How can you limit the amount of conduction, convection, and radiation in your ice cube keeper?