September 19, 2024
1 Solar System Way, Planet Earth, USA
Science And Technology

Move a cable across the ice

Ice is great for many scientific experiments and research. It's cheap, easy to make, and always fun to experiment with.

Today we are going to try a great sA scientific trick in which a wire cuts through an ice cube. Normally, ice needs to be heated to melt, but it can also be melted by applying pressure. To do this, weights are attached to a thin wire placed over the ice cube.

You will need:

Fine wire, we use fishing rod wire.

Ice cubes

1 or 2 weights

Container for storing ice cubes

How to move a cable through ice

Place an ice cube on a bowl. The ice cube should be stable.

Cut the wire to a length that will fit over the ice cube but will not reach the surface when the weights are added.

Place a small weight on each end of the wire.

Place the wire over the ice bucket so that the weights hang evenly over each side.

Two small containers with an ice cube on top. A thin wire with weights at each end is placed over the ice cube.
Ice cube with wire on top for a science experiment on cutting ice with wire
Ice cube hanging from a wire for a science experiment on how to cut ice with wire

How does it work? Wire cut through ice?

When water freezes, it expands as the water molecules arrange themselves in an orderly arrangement that takes up more space than when the molecules are free.

The wire exerts pressure on the ice below, which melts it slightly. As the wire moves down, the water on top refreezes. This continues as the wire moves through the ice.

Ice and a weight hanging from a wire

Don't forget to try my other ones Ice experiments for kids!

ice cubes with fishing line and weights hanging over them.

Last updated on May 2, 2023 by Emma Vanstone

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