MEMPHIS JUNIOR SCIENCE ASSOCIATION
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Picking Up Ice Cubes!

Key Concepts

Picture

Materials: 
3-5    Ice Cubes
3-5*     12 inch long string (yarn works well)
Table Salt
Table

Note*: You should have as many strings as ice cubes.


Activity Directions:
  1. Lay your ice cubes in a single-file row, so that all ice cubes are the same distance away from the edge of the table closest to you.
  2. With the left-most ice cube, lightly place the end of one string on top of the ice cube. 
  3. Lay the remainder of the string straight out on the table away from you.
  4. Repeat steps 2 and 3 for the rest of the ice cubes.
  5. Then, sprinkle a pinch of salt on top of each ice cube. 
  6. Let the ice cubes sit for about 60 seconds. 
  7. Try to pick up the ice cubes by picking up the string!
  8. Notice that the ice cubes have been “glued” onto the string. 
  9. If you aren’t able to pick up the ice cubes, wait another minute and try again!

Discussion Questions & Science Explanations:
  1. How do particles in a solid behave, in terms of their movement and spacing? How about liquids and gases?
    1. Particles in a solid are barely moving, just vibrating, and are pretty close together. 
    2. Particles in a liquid are farther apart and move faster than particles in a solid, and gas particles are even more spread out and move even faster than particles in a liquid or solid. 
    3. Gas particles have the most energy, followed by liquid particles which have less energy, followed by solid particles which have even less energy.
  2. Have you ever seen somebody sprinkle salt on the road on an icy winter day? Do you know why they do that?
    1. Salt lowers the melting point of the ice. 
    2. Water freezes at 32 degrees Fahrenheit but saltwater freezes at 28.4 degrees Fahrenheit. 
    3. This means that at about 30 degrees Fahrenheit, pure water will be ice, but saltwater will be liquid, even though both are the same temperature. 
  3. How did the ice cube attach itself to the string?
    1. When salt is first sprinkled on the ice, a thin layer of water on top very top of the ice melts. Remember that salt lowers water’s freezing point, so the water right on top that’s in contact with the salt melts and doesn’t immediately freeze. 
    2. However, the ice around the water gradually cools that layer of water so that it eventually refreezes. This time, the string is frozen along with that top layer of water, joining it to the ice cube.
  4. Was this a chemical reaction? And if so, why?
    1. A chemical reaction occurs when the molecular bonds of a substance change.
    2. Changing the physical properties of a substance, such as state of matter, isn’t a chemical reaction because the substance is still the same. Some common examples of each include: burning wood (chemical), cooking an egg (chemical), iron rusting (chemical), ice melting (physical), cutting paper(physical), mixing play-doh (physical). 
    3. Transforming water into ice or ice into water is not a chemical reaction, it’s actually physical. Liquid water simply decreases in temperature to become solid ice. Solid ice simply increases in temperature to become liquid water. 

Additional Experimentation:
  1. See if you can the ice cubes and strings to each other to form one longer string!
  2. Instead of table salt, does using sugar work as well?

​

Suggested Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0nEJ_FN46NQ&ab_channel=MyToyVillage

​Published 9.19.2020

Author: Alex Zhang

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  • Home
  • About Us
  • Memphis, TN
    • Science Storytime
    • Science After School
    • Y on the Fly
    • Senior Technology Education Program
    • K-5 Science Challenge
    • MS Science Challenge
    • Girls’ Science Discovery Day
    • Elementary Invitational
  • Museum Partnerships
    • Huntsville, AL
    • Jackson, MS >
      • Science Spectacular
      • Sensational Science
    • St. Louis, MO
    • Little Rock, AR
    • Lexington, KY
  • challenges
    • Little Rock Challenge
    • Huntsville Challenge
    • Memphis Elementary Challenge
    • Memphis Middle School Challenge
  • Calendar
  • Gallery
  • Science at Home
    • Science Projects >
      • Make Your Own Volcano!
      • Make Your Own Potato Clock!
      • Grow Your Own Sugar Crystal!!
      • Dye Your Own Flowers!
      • Dissolving Egg Shells!
      • Make a pH indicator!
      • Pepper and Soap Experiment!
      • Sundial!
      • Coke and Mentos!
      • Carbon Sugar Snake!
      • Extracting Iron from Cereal!​
      • Blowing up Balloons!
      • Leaf Transpiration!
      • Create a Density Column!
      • Make Your Own Compost!
      • Make Your Own Ice Cream!
      • Maka a Lava Lamp!
      • Skittles Science Experiment!
      • Walking Water!
      • Rolling a Can with Electricity!
      • Ice Tray Battery!
      • Imploding Can!
      • Steel Wool in Vinegar!
      • Invisible Ink!
      • Supercooling Water!
      • Picking Up Ice Cubes!
      • Polar Bear Blubber!
      • Fireworks in Water!
      • Cleaning Pennies!
      • Cleaning Pennies - Extended!
    • Astronomy >
      • Constellation Cups
      • Layers of the Earth!
      • Moon Phases Flipbook!
      • Layers of the Atmosphere!
      • Black Holes!
      • Gravity!
      • Eclipses!
      • Nebulae!
      • The Solar System
      • Clouds in a Jar!
      • Mars!
      • Telescopes!
      • Solar Oven!
      • Stars!
      • Comets!
      • Astronauts!
      • Polar Lights!
      • Venus!
    • Anatomy >
      • The Skeletal System
      • The Respiratory System
      • The Digestive System
      • The Circulatory System
      • The Endocrine System
      • The Nervous System
      • The Integumentary System
      • Lung Cancer
      • Lukemia
      • Lymphoma
      • Pancreatic Cancer
      • Renal Cancer
      • Bile Duct Cancer
      • Mitosis and The Cell Cycle
    • Miscellaneous >
      • Climate Change