Large Ice Cube, Plexiglas Tank, and Water
Large Ice Cube, Plexiglas Tank, and Water

 

Code Number: 4C20.25

Demo Title: Change of Volume with Change of State - Melting Iceberg

Condition: Good

Principle: Change of State, Phase Changes

Area of Study: Thermodynamics

Equipment: 

Large ice cube (made at least 48 hrs. ahead of time), 1ft X 1ft X 1ft Plexiglas tank, water.

Procedure:

Fill the tank 3/4 full of water then place the ice cube in it.  Finish filling the tank to almost overflowing.  When this is done right you should see the water level will be above the edge of the tank.  The question is, will the tank overflow when the iceberg melts??

References:

  • Gary Reich, "Exploding Water Drops", TPT, Vol. 54, #1, Jan. 2016, p. 9.
  • Boon Leong Lan, "Does Sea Level Change When a Floating Iceberg Melts?", TPT, Vol. 48, # 5, May 2010, p. 328.
  • Paul Hewitt, "Hewitt's Response", TPT, Vol. 46, # 9, December 2008, p. 516.
  • Jim McNeil, "'Topped Iceberg' Transcience", TPT, Vol. 46, # 9, December 2008, p. 516.
  • "Figuring Physics", TPT, Vol. 46, # 3, March 2008, p. 179.
  • "Figuring Physics", TPT, Vol. 35, # 5, May 1997, p. 291.
  • Douglas A. Kurtze, "Gravitational Effects of Ice Sheets on Sea Level", AJP, Vol. 90, #5, May 2022, p. 351.
  • Henry Pollack, "Tip of the Iceberg", Physics Today, Vol. 72, # 12, Dec. 2019, p. 70.
  • Charles Day, "Glaciers Melt Noisily into the Sea", Physics Today, May 2015, p. 19.
  • Ashley G. Smart, "'Melting' Ice Yields Hints of a Second Liquid Water Phase", Physics Today, Dec. 2013, p. 16.
  • Charles Vivian, "Miniature Iceberg", Science Experiments & Amusements For Children, p. 51.
  • Jearl Walker, "4.25, Bursting Pipes", The Flying Circus of Physics Ed. 2, p. 188.
  • Robert Ehrlich, "6.2 - Floating Ice Cubes", Why Toast Lands Jelly-Side Down, p. 101.
  • # 154, "Overflow?",  Janice VanCleave's 203 Icy, Freezing, Frosty, Cool, and Wild Experiments.
  • Guinness World Records, "Largest Iceberg", 2003, p. 78.
  • W. Bolton, "The States of Matter", Book I - Properties of Materials, Physics Experiments and Projects, 1968, p. 28.
  • Julius Sumner Miller, Q92 & A92, Millergrams I – Some Enchanting Questions for Enquiring Minds, p. 60 & 109.

https://water.lsbu.ac.uk/water/phase_anomalies.html