Ice Breaker
Use salt and string to pick up an ice cube without touching it. Can you use salt to  “break the ice”?
What you will need:
- 12-inch piece of string
- salt
- ice cube (or an icicle from outside)
- small bowl
Put an ice cube in a small bowl filled with water. Wet your string and lay it on top of the ice cube. Can you pick up the ice cube with the string?
With the string lying on top of the ice cube, sprinkle a pinch of salt on the ice cube. Wait two minutes.
Now try again to lift the ice cube by picking up the string. Did it work?
How it worked:
Salt makes the ice melt. This is why we sprinkle salt on icy sidewalks and streets in the winter. A little pool of water forms on top of the ice cube, and the string sinks into it. Within minutes the ice refreezes over the string. As the ice hardens around the string, it is possible to lift the cube out of the bowl. |
