conducting an experiment and writing up a lab report.

How long it takes ice with salt versus ice without salt to melt in normal

temperature?

Arju Sharma

Natural Science Lab

Western Governors University

Introduction and Literature Review

A. Water, a naturally occurring liquid with interesting characteristics in chemistry, is one of

the most important compounds to ever exist in the world. So, my experiment will be on how long

it takes ice with salt versus ice without salt to melt in normal temperature. The combination of

hydrogen and oxygen to form the life-sustaining chemical compound forms the basis of my

experimental research interest. The most interesting fact about water is its physical changes

abilities upon subjection to different heat levels and non-interference with the compound's

chemical properties. Water can exist in the form of ice, but an increase in heat levels could mean

melting to ice, and a further increase in heat levels results in evaporation of the liquid formed.

The core of this research rests on my quest to investigate different melting rates of salted ice vs.

non-salty ice. Melting rates can significantly vary, especially for icebergs, due to factors such as

iceberg aspect ratios and ambient water velocities (Hester et al., 2021). However, heating levels

are the most significant certifier of the difference in melting rates for ice in salty and non-salty

conditions.

According to Quarini & Chang (2002), in their experiment to determine the heat transfer

characteristics of ice melting in water and salt solutions, they found that ice cubes in tap water at

200 C melted 25% faster than the ice cubes in the sodium chloride solution. The articles cited on

ice melting above provided a glimpse of expectations that formed the basis of my hypothesis.

The main hypothesis question component is salt or sodium chloride ion's influence on the

melting rates of ice.

Hypothesis

B. The research question for the experiment is: is there a significant difference in the melting

rates for ice with salt and ice without salt?

H0: there is no significant difference in the melting rates for ice with salt and ice without salt.

H1: there is a significant difference in the melting rates for ice with salt and ice without salt.

C. The hypothesis above is encouraged by the fact that the article above provoked my earlier

assertion that ice melts at a faster rate in salt solution than in tap water. I do hold the belief that

salt is a significant contributor to influencing the melting rates of ice. How significant is that

assertion? The experiment to be conducted stands to prove wrong or correct of this fact.

Method

D. The independent variable in this research is the amount of heat that would be recorded at a

constant rate until the ice melted.

E. The dependent variable is the time it takes for ice to melt. I intend to control the salt levels

of the ice used in the experiment, i.e., making sure it is constant through the experiment or varies

with an experimentally conscious deviation.

F. My cofounding variables are:

• Same amount of ice cubes

• Same size glasses

• Equal amount of salt in all three glasses

• The amount of salt

One of the confounding variables is the quantity of salt in the ice cubes used in the experiment.

It is likely that different quantities of salt in the ice cubes led to results differential too. And

another is equal amount of ice in each glass. If I put 2 ice cubes in one and 7 ice cubes in another

then glass with less ice will dissolve faster. Therefore, the amount of ice we put for the

experiment should be equal that produce the fair result.

G. The materials to be involved in the experiment include:

• Two small glasses with ice cubes

• 1 tablespoon measurement spoon for adding salt in the glasses

• A timer or a stopwatch to record the time it takes in minutes for the ice to melt.

• 5 ice cubes of ice without salt

• 5 ice cubes of ice without salt

H. I gathered all my materials together and then went to table to start my experiment. My

room temperature was set at 65-degree Fahrenheit. After that, I took my phone to capture the

time. First, I put equal amount of ice in each glass and then with the help of spoon I put salt in

one glass with ice. In a few minutes, ice with salt started to melt down. I could see the water that

melt from ice in a glass. Then, after a certain time all the ice that was in the glass melted and

converted into water. At, that point I stopped the timer and then started noting down the time.

Image: Ice with salt and ice without salt

I. With the experiment, ice with salt melt faster than ice without salt. Time taken to melt

freshwater ice at room temperature is 25 minutes. And the time taken to melt salty ice in room

temperature is 15 minutes.

J. Results

The results were collected and recorded in the following tables after the experiment:

Temperature of melting ice Time in minutes

Room temperature 25

Temperature of melting salty ice Time in minutes

Room temperature 15

K. My hypothesis that ice with salt melt faster than ice without salt was confirmed. It can be

seen from experiment that ice melts faster in the cup with salt because salt lowers the freezing

point of the ice, causing the ice the melt faster than it normally would.

L. One uncontrolled confounding variable that could have influenced my observed result

could be the temperature of my room. My room temperature is normally 65-degree Fahrenheit

which may have affected temperature of ice in the glass. So, if the temperature of the room is

controlled, melting rate will be different for the experiment that might have changed our result.

Conclusion

M. As the results section confirms, it takes less time to melt salty ice. The alternative hypothesis

saying there is a significant difference in the melting rates for ice with salt and ice without salt is

partially confirmed. In this experiment, salt is an impurity, and they tend to lower the melting point

of substances and increase the boiling points too. The outcome of the experiment in this assignment

differs from the one conducted by Quarini & Chang (2002) in that the salty ice, in this case, melts

about 19% quicker than the freshwater ice. It is only possible that the ice salt concentration has an

impact on the results leading to the difference of result.

N. References

Abbott, M. L. (2014). Understanding educational statistics using Microsoft Excel and SPSS.

John Wiley & Sons.

Hester, E. W., McConnochie, C. D., Cenedese, C., Couston, L. A., & Vasil, G. (2021). Aspect

ratio affects iceberg melting. Physical Review Fluids, 6(2), 023802.

Kumano, H., Hirata, T., Shouji, R., & Shirakawa, M. (2010). Experimental study on heat transfer

characteristics of ice slurry. International journal of refrigeration, 33(8), 1540-1549.

Quarini, G. L., & Chang, Y. C. (2002). Heat transfer characteristics of ice melting in water and

salt solutions. Chemical Engineering Research and Design, 80(3), 320-324.