Icy Science
This is a wonderful winter science activity. It is very simple and the equipment is as close as your freezer... or the snowball from your front yard.
Water exists in three states: liquid, solid, and gas. We will demonstrate the liquid and solids states of water. Water (the liquid state) changes to ice (the solid state) when the temperatore drops below 32 degrees F (0 degrees C). The ice melts when the temperature rises above 32 degrees F. Water and ice can change back and fourth, depending on the temperature.
Materials:
four ice cubes
four styrofoam trays that have been sanitized
numbers 1-4 written on four index cards
timer
Directions:
Number the trays one through four. Place the ice cubes on trays in various parts of your space (home or classroom). Place a number card beside each tray. Set a timer for 15 minutes.
Make an estimation of how many minutes it will take to melt each ice cube. Will they all melt at the same time? At the same rate? If they melt at different times/rates, why does this happen?
Compare the estimations with the actual events.
