Why does ice melt?
Ice melts when it gets warm, and turns back into water. Drip drip!
Pip’s answer
- Ice melts when it gets warm, and turns back into water. Drip drip!
- Ice is made of tiny bits of water holding hands, very still.
- Warmth makes the tiny bits wiggle until they let go and flow!
- Ooh, put that water in the freezer and it turns back into ice!
Try it together
Can you freeze still like ice, then melt into a wiggle?
For grown-ups
In ice, water molecules are locked in a rigid pattern. As ice warms to 0 °C (32 °F), the molecules vibrate more until they break out of that pattern and flow as liquid water. Freezing reverses the process when water cools enough.
Ask your child: Where do you think an ice cube melts fastest in our home?
More questions kids ask
- 🧂Why does salt melt ice on the road?
- 🧊Why is ice slippery?
- 🍫Why does chocolate melt?
- 🍎Why do things fall down?
- 🧲Why do magnets stick?
- 🫧Why are bubbles round?
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