Science Buddies: "Ask an Expert"

In this project I have to immerse strawberries in hot (not boiling) water but it says to immerse the strawberries in a plastic basket won't the basket melt. What do I do?!?

Hi there,

Welcome to Science Buddies! It looks like you are doing this project: https://www.sciencebuddies.org/science- ... ml#summary

This is a really cool project. It's great that you are thinking about melting points. According to the procedure (https://www.sciencebuddies.org/science- ... #procedure), you should be heating the water to 125 degrees Farenheit, which is just over halfway to boiling (212 Farenheit). Most plastics melt near or above the boiling temperature for water, so you'll be fine as long as you keep the temperature close to what the procedure suggests. Make sure to have a thermometer on hand, so you can monitor the temperature closely.

Please post again (in this same thread) if you have any more questions.

Heather