Year 6

Melting Ice Experiment Using the Scientific Method

“Acquiring knowledge through observation and testing”

By: Tristan 6B

The Rotation Activity

Year 6 students had been doing rotational activities about Science Experiments using the Scientific Method. We did 3 different activities; some were inflate a balloon using a few chemicals and the melting ice experiment. In this article, I am going to write about the melting ice experiment and how we did it.

Background

What is the Scientific Method? According to the Oxford Dictionary, the scientific method is “a method of procedure that has characterized natural science since the 17th century, consisting in systematic observation, measurement, and experiment, and the formulation, testing, and modification of hypotheses.” Scientists have used the scientific method to ensure that their experiments’ results are reliable and valid. When you use the scientific method, you will learn more and think critically, asking questions, and making predictions about your experiments.

Melting Ice Experiment

The big question was which object could liquefy (melt) the ice cube the fastest? The hypothesis was that hot water would liquefy (melt) the ice cube the fastest because heat is an essential melting process component. We used water (hot, steam, and cold), salt, sugar, six ice cubes, and six compartment muffin tins.

The variables are:

1. The substances added to ice (independent variable).

2. The amount of time needed to liquefy the ice cube fully (dependent variable).

3. The temperature of the room (constant variable).

4. The ice cube with no added substances (control variable).

The procedure is:

1. Prepare the materials.

2. Place ice cubes on each container.

3. Put all the substances on top of each ice cube.

4. Observe the amount of ice melted.

5. After 5 minutes, observe the amount of ice melted.

6. After 30 minutes, monitor the amount of ice melted.

7. After 1 hour, observe the amount of ice melted.

Changes and Results

The result after 5 minutes:

We observed that when hot water was pour, it already melted ice the fastest. After 5 minutes, hot water was close to liquefy the ice cube fully. 

The result after 30 minutes:

After 30 minutes, hot water slowed down, and other substances were catching up.

The result after 1 hour:

After 1 hour, hot water was the first substance to completely melted the ice cube. The hypothesis was correct because hot water did melt the ice cube at the fastest. 

Data, Research, and Analysis

Fact 1: Hot water temperature: > 49°C

Fact 2: Ice cube temperature: < 0°C

Fact 3: Liquid (water) temperature: > 0°C. 

Conclusion 1: Hot water has a higher temperature than the ice cube.

Fact 1: Hot water has a higher temperature than the ice cube.

Fact 2: Heat is technically transferring thermal energy from a warmer substance to a cooler one.

Fact 3: Thermal energy always moves from high to low point, or, in other words, from warmer to cooler objects. 

Conclusion 2: Hot water is transferring thermal energy to the ice cube.

Fact 1: Hot water is transferring thermal energy to the ice cube.

Fact 2: Thermal energy continues to transfer between substances until both are at the same temperature.

Fact 3: This causes the ice cube’s temperature to rise and reach the melting point temperature to be more than 0°C.

Fact 4: Once a solid object (ice cube) reaches its melting point (≥ 0°C), it will change its atomic structure into a liquid.

Final Conclusion: Hot water changes an ice cube (solid) into a liquid (water).

Why are other substances can not melt an ice cube quickly?

Because they do not have enough temperature to transfer heat/thermal energy to the ice cube, the ice cube will liquify slower.

What is melting?

Melting is the change of a solid into a liquid. It happens when heat or pressure is applied and when the substance’s temperature reaches its melting point.

From the rotation activity, we learned how to conduct a science experiment using scientific methods. It was fun!