ICE ICE BABY
   

Question:
Does the shape of an ice cube affect how
quickly it melts?

Hypothesis:
We  predict that the shape of the ice cubes will not matter.  We predict ice made with the exact same amount of water and frozen for exactly the same amount of time will melt at the same rate.

Materials:
-4 ice cube trays to make different shaped ice cubes
    o Hearts
    o Penguins
    o Seashells
    o Fish

-.25 ounces of water per ice cube-4 colors of food coloring(2 drops per cube) to differentiate the ice shapes once melting
occurs
        o Red
        o Blue
        o Yellow
        o Green
  
-4 clear glass bowls filled with an equal amount of water poured from a jug of water stored at the same temperature

-Dry ice to keep the ice
cubes frozen while waiting to run the experiment

-A timer that tracks  minutes and seconds
 

A timer

---

Procedure:
1.Fill each ice cube slot with 0.25 oz. of water.
2.    Add 2 drops of food coloring to each ice cube slot
        Red for hearts,
        Blue for penguins,
        Yellow for seashells and
        Green for fish 
3.    Place filled trays into the freezer at the same time.
4.    Keep the trays in the freezer until each cube is
       fully frozen. 
5.    Remove the trays at the same time. 
6.    Keep the cubes frozen using dry ice and a cooler.
7.    Fill 4 clear glass bowls 1/2 way with water from the
       same jug that has been sitting at room temperature
       for at least 1/2 an hour.
8.    At exactly the same time, drop one of each shape 
       cube into each bowl of room temperature water.
9.    Immediately start the timer as the cubes hit the
       water.
10.  Observe the melting process.
11.  Accurately record data as to the time it takes for each
       shaped cube to melt.
12.  Compare the results.
13.  Record the order of melting.

    

The Procedure Aims to Eliminate Variables:

In order to be sure that our results would be the result of the effect of shape on ice melting, we were very careful to make ice cubes from the exact same amount of water, to use food coloring made by the same brand and of similar ingredients and to put the same number of drops of food coloring in each cube.  We also melted each shape cube in an equal amount of same temperature water. 

Observations:
Each time we ran the experiment, the ice cubes melted in the same order.   The penguins and seashells always melted more quickly than either the heart or the fish.

Conclusion:
Shape matters!  The penguin shape, which was the longest and had the most grooves, melted the fastest. 
The seashell, which has many grooves, was a close second in melting.  The fish and the heart shapes, which had fewer cut-outs and grooves and which were thicker took longer to melt.

The Science Behind It:

Shape matters! The more surface area that is exposed to the heat element, the faster ice melts.  Denser shapes melt slower.  The results of our experiment mimic what is happening to the polar ice caps. Global Warming has caused the climate to be hotter.  Scientists have noticed that the polar ice caps have melted more in the last 20 years than in the past 10,000 years.  The surface of the ice sheets melts because it is exposed to the sun.  Also, as the ice has been melting, glaciers have broken off the ice sheets.  These smaller chunks melt at a faster rate than the polar ice caps in general as more of their surface area is exposed to the warmth.  

Amanda     

Budding scientist Amanda is in Ms. Debellis' 5th grade class at Somers Intermediate School. She enjoys playing soccer, dancing and hanging out with friends and family. especially her little brother Michael! Amanda's favorite subjects are reading and writing. However, after attending science nights as a 3rd and 4th grader, Amanda could not pass up an opportunity to participate as a demo leader at her school's  Hands-on-Science-Night or at the Tri-County Science Fair with her buddy Ally.   

Ally

Budding scientist Ally is a 5th grade student in Mrs. Luke's class at Somers Intermediate School.  She enjoys dancing, cheerleading, hanging out with her friends, and playing with her dog Ben. Although her favorite subjects are reading and writing, Ally could not pass up the opportunity to participate as a demo leader at the SMS Hands-on-Science-Night or at the Tri-County Science Fair with her buddy Amanda.