I.C.E., the Incredible Community Experiment
Could it possibly be true? Could hot water really freeze faster than cold water? Urban legend says it’s true. Erasto Mpemba says it’s true. And Aristotle(!) says it’s true, too. But, COME ON: in order to freeze, hot water must first cool down to BECOME cold water (mustn’t it?), so how could hot water possibly freeze faster than cold water?!
When you want your freezer to make ice cubes in a hurry, should you REALLY fill the ice trays with HOT water?! Or, if your freezer makes ice cubes automatically, should you really run the HOT water line to your freezer, not the COLD water line? This is nuts! … Or could it be true?
Wonderfest says: in the name of science, stop guessing, and DO THE EXPERIMENT!
Please join us in doing ICE: the Incredible Community Experiment, and report your findings.
ICE: Yes or no — DOES HOT WATER FREEZE FASTER THAN COLD WATER?
Key definitions:
a) Let “hot water” mean the hottest water from YOUR kitchen faucet.
b) Let “cold water” mean the coldest water from YOUR kitchen faucet.
c) Let “freeze” mean EITHER (YOUR choice!): (A) a solid layer of ice has formed on top *or* (B) all the water has become solid ice.
Procedure:
1) Fill each of two identical small bowls with a cup (~ 237 ml) of tap water—one with cold water, one with hot.
2) Place the bowls on the same freezer shelf; denote which is which!
3) Check the bowls after 30 minutes, and every 10 minutes thereafter.
4) Enter your chosen definition of “freeze” (A or B, from definition “c”, above) and your answer (YES or NO).
Here’s a little more inspiration — from physicist Danny Hillis and Aristotle! — to do the experiment.
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With your submitted results, you have a chance to win this:
Personalized ICE Scientist ID tag
