Brainlag PlusThe Edexcel core practical on the properties of water: a temperature-time graph for melting ice, the specific heat capacity of water, and the funnel method for the latent heat of fusion.
Melting ice, step by step
Fill a beaker with crushed ice straight from the freezer and push a thermometer (or a temperature probe) into the middle.
Record the temperature, then heat gently and steadily, stirring all the time, and read the temperature every 30 seconds. Keep going until all the ice has melted and the water has reached about 20 °C.
- Crushed ice packs round the thermometer, so it reads the ice and not the air.
- Stirring keeps the whole mixture at one temperature.
Safety: hot plates stay hot long after they look cold, so let them cool before you touch them. Keep water well away from mains sockets, and stir with a stirring rod, never with a glass thermometer.
The rest of this lesson and its 9 practice questions are in Plus.
Screen 1 of 4, free to read.
- 9 exam-style questions, marked as you go, each with a worked solution
- Anything you get wrong is saved to your flashcards