Can ice melt slower in a styrofoam cup, a paper cup or a plastic cup?
92563
styrofoam because it is a better insulator of heat than the other materials mentioned\n\nyou do not have to be a physician to know that
703137
On a recent camping trip, we put an empty glass bottle into the fire to try to melt it.  It half melted into an interesting shape.  We fished it out and allowed it to cool.  After it had completely cooled it had micro cracks all over it.  The next day, with no outside influence, the bottle broke from the internal stresses that it got in the fire.  Glass is an amorphous material.  It is actually a supercooled liquid.  A plate glass window will get a wider thickness on the bottom and a thinner thickness on the top.  It takes a very long time for the thickness to be noticeable.  but it will eventually flow down into a puddle.  This will take about 200,000 years.\n\nGlass, basically, is very brittle.  Brittle materials break easily.
682539
this is a cute question, but it could be a logical question too.\n\nas they were saying it depends on the temp and size of the cube.\n\nfor sure, in the summer here in Phoenix it will melt a whole lot faster then it would in Maine. but that would be a neat science project to do using the same size cube and try to see how fast it melts in the winter, summer, fall, and spring. log down the times, melt one cube a day and have fun with the info you gather.
116361
It depends on the temperature at which you are talking about. At room temp glass is a solid. However, at a high enough temperature, glass can be in liquid form, much the same way that ice melts into liquid. It just takes a lot more heat. To clarify from one of the other responses, it is liquid as long as it is in it's liquid phase. Steel is still called steel, even when it is molten enough that it's flow properties are similar to that of water. However, as we interact with steel and glass it is in it's solid phase.
339248
Due to sublimation, it will weigh slightly less. However, in a closed system (say you sealed the cup in an airtight box and weighed that before and after the ice melted) there would be 0 change in mass due to conservation of mass/energy.
53097
well, ice is solid, water is liquid, and air is gas, and the potential energy increases as the stages change.  in other words, air is the warmest, water next, and ice last.  air being the warmest will warm up the ice faster and therefore melt it quicker.\n\nthe only reason that i can see why it'd be in water is if there's been a sudden change in temperature and the water is still warm but the air is cooler (cold front after a week of mid 60s or 70s weather).
816490
Its better to get a design engineering guide from one of the plastic raw material suppliers as modifying the melt flow index would change many other properties also. A manufacturer rather than a distributor would probably provide you the information more readily.
877185
There's no scientific evidence that Styrofoam  put in a microwave causes cancer. It may do other things though, such as melt . . so you might want to switch to plates and dishes that are intended to be placed in a microwave.\n\nHere is what has been said about styrofoam and using it in a microwave from "How Things Work". The site answers many questions about microwave ovens:\n\nhttp://rabi.phys.virginia.edu/HTW/microwave_ovens.html\n\n"What containers are not safe to use in a microwave? I am particularly concerned about Styrofoam containers as I use them to make TV dinners for my family. Is it OK to heat directly in these containers?\nThe two critical issues with containers in a microwave are (1) that they do not absorb or reflect microwaves and (2) that they tolerate high temperatures. Concerning the first issue, a container that absorbs microwaves will become extremely hot and may be damaged or destroyed. Most plastics (including Styrofoam) don't absorb microwaves and are fine. Glazed water-free ceramics and glasses are usually also fine, as long as they don't have any metallic trim. Metal dishes are a poor choice because they reflect microwaves and lead to uneven heating. Unglazed ceramics absorb water and will overheat.\n\nConcerning the second issue, many plastics melt or soften below the temperature of boiling water. Polystyrene, the plastic from which Styrofoam is made, has a glass transition temperature of almost exactly 212° Fahrenheit (100° Celsius). That means that it will begin to soften at just about the temperature of boiling water. While pure water will boil without much problem in Styrofoam, water containing dissolved solids such as sugar or salt will boil at a higher temperature and may melt the Styrofoam. You'll know when this happens...it's not really a health issue, just a potential for a messy oven. I've only encountered the problem once myself, when a Polystyrene gravy separator melted in the microwave and let the gravy spill."\n\nThe American Cancer Society also dispells the myths that heating plastic in the microwave or freezing water in plastic bottles releases toxins, like dioxin and DEHA. None of it is true, it's just urban myth and misinformation being passed around.\n\nMicrowaving Myths (American Cancer Society)\nhttp://www.cancer.org/docroot/MED/content/MED_6_1x_Microwaving_Plastic.asp?sitearea=MED\n\nRumors, Myths, and Truths\nhttp://www.cancer.org/docroot/MED/med_6.asp
12825
If you rub the ice with the fleece then friction introduces heat to the ice and may melt some.  \n\nIf you wrap ice in fleece on a warm day then the insulating properties of fleece will reduce the rate at which it melts.
215770
depends on the ice...\n\nmany different types of ice in different states of being 'frozen' and at different temperatures and with\ndifferent degrees of purity of the water or other frozen substance...\n\nthe answer would be yes more often than no...
171505
Yes, the plastic will...(You get a cooler effect if you put it in a microwave though)
136745
Good question!  You obviously know that glacial ice is not the same as frozen water in an ice cube tray in your freezer!  (glacial ice is compressed snow)  My initial response was that icebergs float, so yeah, it would float.  Then I thought that seawater is salty, which can cause more dense things to float and doesnt nescessarily provide a good proxy for a cup of drinking water.  Thennnnnn (you like following my train of thought here?) I remembered that icebergs calve into fresh water lakes, too and float.  So my long-winded non-quantitative answer is yes.  :)\n\nI have no idea if there is a difference in rate of melting, but my best guess is that it might take SLIGHTLY longer to melt.
710857
No.\n\nThe Ice block, when melted, will Increase the level in the vessel.\n\nIce blocks contain air trapped inside, so it is difficult to estimate exactly how much water will be added to the Vessel.\n\nThanks, Sandy
674634
Heat is transferred by conduction, convection and radiation. In medium-temperature applications radiation would only be a small part of the total, and an opaque material will prevent radiative escape of heat in any case. Conduction and convection are minimized by the structure of a typical insulator in addition to the material properties mentioned in the first answer. Styrofoam, for instance, consists of very thin partitions of styrene plastic which enclose gas-filled bubbles. This means each convection cell or mixing space is small and essentially a small proportion of the total insulation thickness, so you don't have the coldest internal gas mixing with the hottest gas. Conduction is low because gas conducts heat more slowly than a solid. The conduction path through the solid styrene is convoluted and of small thickness, both of which minimize conduction. In houses, fiberglass insulation uses similar principles except that the air spaces are connected. This means a larger convection cell potentially exists, but it is baffled by all the glass strands, so circulation and mixing are much slower and smaller-scale.
629453
warm water dissolves ice faster than warm air because it can transfer and absorb heat faster than warm air of the same temperature
541637
Water will.  Soda has dissolved compounds that will lower the freezing point.
183968
when i was in 3rd grade i did onw on what freezes faster.... hot cold or salt water. actually got frist prize in the school science fair and 2 in district