Shape of ice cubes affects melting rate (Allison Shiff)

Title

It's all in the SHAPE!!

Author

Allison Shiff - Nobel Charter Middle School

Question

What effect does the shape of the ice cube have on the time it takes to melt?

Hypothesis

The greater the surface area of the ice cube the faster it will melt.

Standards

NGSS: Energy and Matter

HS-PS3

• • Changes of energy and matter in a system can be described in terms of energy and matter flows into, out of, and within that system. (HS-PS3-3)

8th grade:

Structure of Matter

3. Each of the more than 100 elements of matter has distinct properties and a distinct atomic structure. All forms of matter are

• • e. Students know that in solids the atoms are closely locked in position and can only vibrate; in liquids the atoms and molecules are more loosely connected and can collide with and move past one another; and in gases the atoms and molecules are free to move independently, colliding frequently.

Reactions

5. Chemical reactions are processes in which atoms are rearranged into different combinations of molecules. As a basis for understanding this concept:

d. Students know physical processes include freezing and boiling, in which a

material changes form with no chemical reaction.

Experimental Design

This experiment explores the connection between the melting rate of ice to the shape of the ice cube which corelates to the surface area of the ice exposed to the air.

Independent variable

Shapes of the ice cubes: (Surface area of the ice exposed to air)

Dependent variables

Time in minutes for ice to melt (Total liquid)

Series

Observe the rate at which various shaped ice cubes melt in a given amount of time.

Controls and Constants

• amount of water in ml in each cube

• same freezer used and constant

• same type of water

• temperature of room

• type of plate that ice is left on

I will be using a "Control Group" set of ice cubes that are rectangular in shape from my automatic ice maker in my refrigerator.

Materials

different kinds of ice cubes

small graduated cylinder

water

timer

freezer

metric ruler

Procedures

1. pour 10 ml of tap water into ice cube trays of different shapes

2. Place ice cube trays into freezer

3. When frozen solid remove all trays from freezer

4. Place the ice cubes on a plate in an open area with constant temperature

5. Group them together by shape (along with your control group)

6. Start your timer and check on them every 10 minutes. Start filming with time lapse on camera.

7. Make qualitative observations at various time intervals.

8. When ice cubes have melted suffiiciently record results and time.

Results

Photographs and Movies

References

What makes Ice Melt Fastest?