Question: Which ways of creating heat will melt an ice cube the fastest?
St
ep 1: Create a hypothesis for your investigation:
St
ep 2: Gather these materials:
• three ice cubes
• three small zip-close plastic bags
• a clock or watch
• a pen or pencil
St
ep 3: Complete these steps:
1. List some ways you could melt an ice cube. Remember that heat can come from many places, including the
sun, fuel, electricity, friction, and body heat.
2. From your list, choose three methods that you can test. Check with an adult to make sure they
are safe. Circle those methods in your list.
3. Get an ice cube from the freezer. In the “Method 1” column of the chart on the next page, write
down what time you took out the ice cube.
4. Try your first way of melting the ice cube. (You might want to put the ice cube in a plastic bag to
keep it from making a mess as it melts.) Remember to get an adult’s help if you are using a stove
or an oven. Watch the ice cube. When it is completely melted, write the time in the chart.
5. Subtract the start and end times to see how long the ice cube took to melt. Fill in the “What I
Did” and “How long did it take?” boxes in the “Method 1” column of the chart.
6. Try your second and third methods with two more ice cubes. Remember to write down your
start and end times. In the chart, record what you did and how long each method took to melt
the ice.
