Okay so lets say I take a quarter and set it on its edge and place it on a ice cube. It sinks into, nearly halfway into the cube in a matter of seconds. So then I think maybe its because the quarter is warmer. So I freeze the quarter and try again, and it does the same thing, like a hot knife through butter. Why is this?
Anonymous
Favorite Answer
the metal that the quarter is made of?
idk.
Doc89891
You can do the same thing with a piece of wire - press it against a cube and it will sink. The cube melts where pressure is applied, and refreezes over the wire after it has passed. You end up with an ice cube with a piece of wire all the way through the center - looks weird. You can even press the wire all the way through the cube and leave the cube intact having never been cut.
Anonymous
probably because even if they are both frozen the ice cube is going to melt no matter what, where as the quarter just thaws... so if the cube is getting softer, the quarters weight remains the same and will eventually sink into it, the cube doesnt have enough density to hold it up any longer.... hope i helped! =]
Neil D
The answer is diffusion, the matter of cold moving to warm, and warm moving to cold. Neither of these are the same exact temperature and if they were would not be able to say that they would warm at the same rate. And because they are not at the same temperature one is effectively leeching the warmth off of the other and warming it's self faster.
I know my own mind already!
Your right, I don't know. It might have something to do with the chemical makeup of the quarter reacting adversely to the ice, kind of like salt.