The purpose of this science fair project is to explore the effect of road salt placed on snowy and icy roads. The freezing point of water is 32 degrees Fahrenheit. At this temperature the water freezes and turns into ice. Road salt is placed on snowy and icy roads because salt causes ice and snow to melt. The chemistry behind this reaction is that the salt lowers the melting point or freezing point of the water. The salt acts like foreign particles in the water to help the melting process.
In this science fair project, you will simulate sidewalks and roads in icy conditions. You will fill dishes with ice to represent the sidewalks and paths. You will place various materials on top of the ice cubes to see if and how they melt. The various materials include: road salt, fertilizer, calcium chloride, kitty litter, and sand.
Assumption:
Road salt and other materials will cause ice to melt.
faster than using nothing at all.
variables:
Type of material spread on ice
Materials needed:
- Six plates that have dimensions of 9 x 13 inches
- Frieza available to use during the science fair project
- chronometer
- Water
- 12 ounces of road salt
- 12 ounces of fertilizer
- 12 ounces of calcium chloride
- 12 ounces of kitty litter
- 12 ounces of sand
- paper
- Pencil
- Camera
SCIENCE FAIR PROJECT SETUP INSTRUCTIONS:
Complete the following steps for this science fair project:
Setup Step #1:
Water in each of the six plates. Make sure the water level in each dish is 1 inch.
Configuration Step #2:
Place all six plates in the freezer. Leave the dishes in the freezer until the water has frozen. You may have to leave the dishes in the freezer overnight.
Configuration Step #3:
Place each of the six plates on your kitchen floor.
Now you are ready to start the science experiment.
INSTRUCTIONS FOR THE SCIENCE FAIR PROJECT:
Step 1:
You will spread material on each plate as follows
shape:
Plate #1: Do not spread any material on this plate. leave this
dish as plain ice only.
Dish #2: Spread the 12 ounces of road salt evenly in this dish.
Plate #3: Distribute the 12 ounces of fertilizer evenly in this plate.
Dish #4: Spread the 12 ounces of calcium chloride evenly
this plate.
Dish #5: Spread the 12 ounces of kitty litter evenly in this dish.
Plate #6: Spread the 12 ounces of sand evenly on this plate.
Step 2:
Use your stopwatch to determine how long it takes for each
ice melting material Record your observations. Did the road salt melt the ice faster? Rank the materials in order from the fastest melting dish to the slowest. Do you think road salt is the most effective material to use on these roads? Why or why not?
Step 3:
You may want to take pictures during the merging process.
Images will help you document your observations as well as validate your results and conclusions.
Summary of Results:
The materials that were distributed on each plate cause the freezing point to drop. In effect, this caused the ice to melt. Road salt is
used on icy roads because it is the most effective and also the safest for the environment.
