Melting Ice Lab
Background:
Kinetic Theory
1. All matter is made of atoms and molecules that act like tiny particles.
2. These tiny particles are always in motion. The higher the temp., the faster the particles
move.
3. At the same temperature, more massive (heavier) particles move slower than less
massive (lighter) particles.
Materials Needed:
● 2 Beakers of the same size
● Ice
● Water
● Stirrer (popsicle stick)
● Hot Plate
● Thermometer
● Graph Paper
Procedure:
1. Fill one beaker with either 140 mL or 200 mL (depending upon your lab station) of
water near 0o C and another with 140 mL or 200 mL (depending upon your lab station)
of ice and water. Both beakers should contain the same amount. Measure the
temperature of each with your infrared thermometer by pointing it at the surface of
the water and record it in your data table. Be sure to use the same angle every time for
consistent results.
2. Turn on your hot plate to medium and let it preheat for about a minute. (Once you set
it do not change it at any point during the experiment.)
3. Place both beakers on the hot plate.
4. Stir and then record the temperature of each beaker every two minutes until the
boiling point is reached and then for three additional readings still at two-minute
intervals.
5. Between readings, answer the following question. What happens at the observable
level (what would you see
) and at the atomic or molecular level (what
happens to the atoms or molecules
) in each of the following situations? (Discuss
within your group.)
○ Water is placed in a freezer
○ Ice melts
○ A puddle evaporates
○ A helium balloon is taken outside in cold weather
Data Table:
Time (minutes)
Temperature (oC)
Temperature (oC)
Beaker with water
Beaker with ice & water
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
14
16
18
20
Add more rows if
needed
Analysis:
On a separate sheet of paper, create a data display for your data and answer the
conclusion questions.
Melting Ice Lab Conclusion Questions:
1. The Kinetic Theory says all matter is made of tiny particles. What particles are in the
water and ice in the beakers from yesterday’s experiment?
2. The Kinetic Theory says that the particles are constantly moving and at higher
temperatures the particles move faster. In the beakers from this experiment, when are
the particles moving fastest?
3. So by placing the beaker containing liquid water only on the hotplate, we added
energy. Where did the energy go?
4. How did the molecules move differently after being heated?
5. Look at the graphs from the experiment. What is different between the graphs for the
two beakers?
6. Can you tell from the graph when the ice has completely melted from the beaker that
contained both ice and water? If so, explain how you can tell. Why is the graph of the
beaker containing both ice and water flat at the beginning?
7. Once all of the ice was melted, did the water (liquid) in each beaker warm at the same
rate? In other words, were the slopes of the lines the same? (This is a physical
characteristic of H2O.)
8. How would the slope of your graphs be different if you warmed 800 ml of water
instead of 400 ml? Why?
9. What if you continued to heat the water until it evaporated, what would the curve look
like?
10. What if we were freezing liquid water, what would the temperature over time curve
look like?
11. How would the amount of energy absorbed by melting 10 grams of ice compare with
the energy released by freezing 10 grams of water?
Cooling Water Lab
Background:
1. Temperature is a measure of molecular motion; the average kinetic energy of the
particles.
2. Heat is a form of energy that flows from a system at a higher temperature to a system
at a lower temperature; the total kinetic energy of the particles.
Hypothesis: If two beakers containing different amounts of hot water are placed into an
ice bath, then the one containing ________ (more or less) water will cool down more
quickly.
Materials:
● 2 Beakers
● Ice
● Hot Water
● Thermometer
● Graph Paper
Procedure:
1. With stopper in place, fill basin (sink at lab table) about half full of ice.
2. Fill one beaker with 400 mL of hot water and one beaker containing 100 mL of hot
water. Measure the temperature of each with your infrared thermometer by pointing
it at the surface of the water and record it in your data table. Be sure to use the same
angle every time for consistent results.
3. Place each of them into the ice bath.
4. Stir and then record the temperature of each beaker every two minutes for twenty
minutes.
Data Table:
Time (minutes)
Temperature (oC)
Temperature (oC)
Beaker with 400 mL water
Beaker with 100 mL water
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
14
16
18
20
Analysis:
On a separate sheet of graph paper, create a data display for your data and answer the
conclusion questions.
Cooling Water Lab Conclusion Questions:
1. What was your hypothesis?
2. Was your hypothesis supported by your data?
3. What is temperature?
4. What is heat?
5. Which beaker contained more heat energy?
6. How are heat and temperature different?
7. How would the amount of energy absorbed by melting 10 grams of ice compare with
the energy released by freezing 10 grams of water?
8. A candle and a bonfire both burn at about the same temperature. Compare the heat
content of each.
Homemade Ice Cream Lab
Objectives:
C2.2B Describe the various states of matter in terms of the motion and arrangement of the
molecules (atoms) making up the substance.
C4.3B Recognize that solids have a more ordered, regular arrangement of their particles
than liquids and that liquids are more ordered than gases.
Materials:
1-Gallon Plastic Bag (1 FOR THE GROUP)
5 cups ice (FOR THE GROUP)
1 cup rock salt (FOR THE GROUP)
1-Quart Plastic Bag (1 PER PERSON)
3/4 cup milk per person
1 tsp Vanilla per person
4 tsp Sugar per person
1 Spoon per person
Procedure:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
Obtain a QUART plastic bag and write your name on it.
Fill your individual QUART bag with 3/4 cup of milk, 4 tsp sugar and 1 tsp vanilla. Add
milk last.
Carefully “zip” your bag with the ice cream mixture. Check the seal, or you will end up
with salty ice cream!
For your group, obtain a GALLON plastic bag. Put five cups of ice and one cup of salt in
the bag.
Place the small bags of the ice cream mixture in the salt-ice mixture.
Gently shake the large container until the contents of the small bags freeze.
Before opening your small Ziploc bag, rinse it in the sink so the salt does not go inside.
Enjoy!
Assessment:
Answer the following in the conclusion of your lab report:
1. What state of matter was the milk when you began?
2. What state of matter was the milk when you were done?
3. In order to change the phase of the milk, what had to be removed?
4. What happened to the heat energy that left the milk?
5. Why was the salt added to the ice?
6. Why did the outside of the bag get wet? (Assume that your bag did not spring a leak.)
What states of matter were involved in this process?