Why is this ice melting so fast?

Every Wow video discusses a fascinating concept, through a science or math experiment.

This week we placed two ice cubes - one on a silver bowl and one on a steel bowl. We kept them at room temperature. After a while, the ice on the silver bowl melted away while the ice on the steel bowl was still melting. We're surprised. Both the bowls were at room temperature!

How can the ice on the silver bowl melt this much faster! (see the GIF below)

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We were confused for a while. Later we discovered a basic property of the metals being the reason for quick melting of ice on the silver bowl. Can you guess what it could be?
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Both the bowls were at room temperature, yet the ice on them melted at different rates. This is because of the difference in their conductivity. Silver is a highly conductive metal. The conductivity of silver is 15 times more than that of steel. It means that silver can give away heat faster or it can absorb heat faster.

To understand conductivity try placing both steel and silver bowls on your cheek. Which feels colder?

Did you found the silver bowl to be colder? This is because silver can absorb heat faster. You can try placing a steel and a plastic bowl on your cheeks and compare. Which do you find to be colder?

(Hint: Steel is more conductive than plastic)

Did the beauty of conductivity amaze you? Watch the full video of this fascinating experiment below.

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What is Open Door's WOW Series?

Math and Science are filled with wonders. At Open Door, we asked ourselves: How do we bring out the Wow! factor in these concepts? This search for Wow led to the start of a new initiative - Open Door's Wow series! This is a series of content videos for Math and Science enthusiasts.

OD WOW Series aims at bringing the wonders behind concepts into the limelight and using the power of appreciation to enrich learning. It is a series of videos on Math and Science concepts with simple setup hands-on experiments designed and conducted by the OPEN DOOR Team. You can access all the videos, every fortnight on Open Door YouTube Channel.

We proudly announce the LAUNCH!

Happy WONDERING!

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