5. Conclusion

5. Conclusions

5.1 Summary of findings

Global warming is rising rapidly as a global threat, directly affecting the ice caps. Sea level has been rising about 1-2 millimeters each year as the Earth has become warmer, and some of it has been because of the melting ice caps (UCAR, 2019). Our project plans to help slow down the melting process, thus protecting the habitats of animals and humans. Specifically, we are trying to find out how different salt concentrations affect the freezing point of water. From our background research, our hypothesis is that the freezing point of the water does decrease as the salt concentration increases, but only until a certain point.

From the data of our experiment, we find out that the data is generally showing the correct trend besides a couple of anomalous data points, in which we suspect that it was due to the positioning of the temperature probes when it was frozen. Our data has verified our hypothesis as it clearly showed the decreasing trend, as well as the point where the solution reaches the saturation point and starts increasing again.

5.2 Contributions of research

Ice cream making is one place where our experiment is applicable. Ice and rock salt are two indispensable items for making ice cream the old fashioned way. The rock salt combined with the ice quickens the process of freezing by lowering the temperature down to 28 degrees Fahrenheit, which is the necessary temperature for the mixture to freeze (doityourself, 2010).

Through this research, I have contributed by making a correlation between the salt concentration and the freezing point of water. This authentic finding contributes to the UN sustainable development goal 13:Climate Action. Given Singapore’s unique situation in relation to global temperature, there is an imperative to reduce the effects of global warming. We cannot directly change the salinity of seawater due to the large amounts of seawater in the polar regions. Hence, we cannot directly reduce global warming. However, the knowledge gained from this research could be shared with professionals and amateurs alike in developing a more environmentally aware populace.

5.3 Practical Applications

Colligative properties have practical applications, such as the salting of roads in cold-weather climates. By applying salt to an icy road, the melting point of the ice is decreased, and the ice will melt more quickly, making driving safer (libretexts, 2022).

5.4 Areas for further study

Further investigation could be done on the effects of other variables on water, such as sulfates of magnesium, calcium, and potassium. These components make up one-quarter of the seawater (Britannica, 2022). Thus, they may have a hidden effect on water that we don't know yet. The independent variable could be the same as our current experiment, which is the different concentrations of these sulfates in the water. The dependent variable, on the other hand, could be the effect of the sulfates on the water. However, as these sulfates may be limited or expensive, using them in our experiment may not be feasible. It is also more time-consuming due to the multiple sulfates. Hence, using salt in our experiment remains a good start in finding a solution to slow down, or potentially prevent the polar ice caps from melting due to increasingly threatening, global warming.