Remove De Ice

Ice is great if you want to cool a drink, or as a surface to skate on, but it can be really dangerous when it covers streets, sidewalks, and other places where people have to drive or walk. What common substance is spread on roads and walkways? Salt! This is the same old table salt that you might sprinkle over your French fries, although the particles are usually larger. What effect does salt have on ice? Here's an experiment you can try that will reveal its effect!

What you'll need:

Glass

Water

Ice cube

Sewing thread

Salt in shaker

Cut a piece of thread about 12 inches (30 cm) long. Fill the glass about 3/4 full of water and put the ice cube into the water. Lay the thread over the top of the ice cube. Hold the ends of the thread up, and pour salt onto the ice cube, covering the area with the thread. Wait about one minute, then take hold of both ends of the thread. Lift them up. What do you notice?

The ice cube comes out of the water with the thread! The salt melts the ice, which then wets the thread. As the salt continues to dissolve, it moves away from the ice cube, and the ice re-freezes. However, by now the salt solution has covered the string, fastening it to the cube.