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Why Does Ice Melt?

Grades:

4

Duration:

2 hours

Subject:

Chemistry

About this Activity

This activity demonstrates the effect of ambient temperature on the rate of melting ice, and then the effect of adding salt, as a comparison.

BC Curriculum Tie-Ins:

Grade 4

  • The effect of temperature
  • Phases of matter
  • The effect of temperature on particle movement

Materials:

Lesson plan

More information

Why does ice melt? This is caused by the change in temperature of the object’s surroundings. For example, when we take ice out of the cold environment of the freezer, it experiences an environment that is much warmer. The water molecules will start “taking” heat from the air around it and that makes them move faster than they were in the freezer. Remember, there is much less heat energy in the freezer! The molecules, as we discussed before, start moving faster and faster and that additional movement makes the ice melt into water.

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