melting ice
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science123
- Posts: 2
- Joined: Wed Mar 24, 2010 8:24 pm
- Occupation: student:3rd grade
- Project Question: Does the shape of an ice cube affect how quickly it melts?
- Project Due Date: May 12, 2010
- Project Status: I am conducting my research
melting ice
Does the shape of an ice cube affect how quickly it melts
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rmarz
- Expert
- Posts: 634
- Joined: Sat Oct 25, 2008 1:26 pm
- Occupation: Technology Consultant
- Project Question: n/a
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- Project Status: Not applicable
Re: melting ice
science123 - As a simple start, let's assume that the melting is occurring as a result of the environment it is in (air, for example) temperature being higher than freezing. In this case, the surface area of the ice (shape is involved) would likely have an effect on the rate that the ice melted. If we assume the same volume of ice is being compared, a sphere would have the smallest relative surface area, therefore probably melt the slowest. A very thin sheet of ice with a lot of surface area would melt faster. Any shape in between, with various surface areas (even though the ice volume is the same) would likely have different melting rates. Hope this is a start for you.
Rick Marz
Rick Marz