KENTUCKY (11/12/12) - The first snow will be here before you know it and when it happens, you might put some salt on your sidewalk or even your driveway to keep the ice away. How does this work? Using a few ingredients from around the house you can discover the science behind how salt “melts” ice.

INGREDIENTS
• Thermometer
• Salt
• Ice
• Transparent Glass

INSTRUCTIONS
STEP 1: Place the thermometer inside the transparent glass. Fill the transparent glass half of the way with ice.
STEP 2: Record the temperature of the ice.
STEP 3: Pour some of the salt on the ice and record the temperature of the ice.
 
EXPLANATION
The temperature significantly drops after you add the salt to the ice. The salt lowers the temperature at which water freezes. A 10% salt solution freezes at 20 F (-6 C), and a 20% solution freezes at 2 F (-16 C). Go to www.hookedonscience.org for more experiments that might get you and your family “Hooked on Science.”

Jason Lindsey
Hooked on Science

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