school project

[natty]

Greetings,

My ten year old came home today with a project assignment to keep a milk carton filled with water frozen in the classroom all week long. The only rule is that they cannot use a cooler such like a styrofoam container, or a refrigerator. Does anyone in the RE community have any great ideas? Remember, this is a ten year old. This is actually a really interesting project and I'm curious to see what different, relatively simple proposals people come up with.

Thanks,

natty

[powell]

Greetings,

My ten year old came home today with a project assignment to keep a milk carton filled with water frozen in the classroom all week long. The only rule is that they cannot use a cooler such like a styrofoam container, or a refrigerator. Does anyone in the RE community have any great ideas? Remember, this is a ten year old. This is actually a really interesting project and I'm curious to see what different, relatively simple proposals people come up with.

Thanks,

natty

Maybe dry ice; solid carbon dioxide. Just don't seal the container.

[The Viking]

I used to do something similar (but with meat) on sailing holidays.

Just wrap a block of dry ice in newspaper (several layers required. Then wrap a block of frozen water to it with more layers of newspaper and put the whole package in a plastic bag.

That used to keep my meat frozen for a fortnight..

[Electrocoolman]

Some sort of 'Thermos' flask?

[lsmith3023]

Dry Ice would be a good bet but be aware. Handling dry Ice can cause frost burns, We are talking 10yr olds here. The facination with the "Fog" coming off of dry Ice is almost irresistable. Also as dry ice gasses off to CO2 it will replace the air in a closed space. I have this problem in research labs where they unpack samples in a small ante-room with no ventilation. All the disclaimers being said if you could find someone with acces to an Ultra-low freezer you could start out your ice block @ -112F or so and then pack it in dry ice. Make sure you have either welders gloves or very thick gloves of some type to handle it. and make the teacher aware of the hazards. I see that you are in Medicine if you work in a Hospital see if the Lab or bloodbank will let you freeze down a carton of water in their -40 or -80 freezer. Don't fill the carton more than halfway if you do.

[nike123]

What is goal of that project? Do they have some guidance on that. If their goal is to involve parents in contributing to solution of projects of their kids, they certainly needed to inform you and guide you somehow.
What is benefit if you make solution for your kid if it is intended that he/she get to solution by on his own? Isn't that counterproductive?

[richardb14]

a vacuum flask

[chillin out]

Whats your ambient temp where you are at the moment?
Why not sabotage the heating in the school and it will stay frozen until a heating engineer comes (which will probably be about 2 weeks...lol)

Chillin

[taz24]

Is it a latral thinking excersise?

I can't think of a way to keep water frozen for 5 days without some serious assistance. If a ten year old was able to think of a solution then my bets are on him / her becoming another Einstein.

My solution would be to take the carton of frozen water to school each morning and take it back home each night to be refrozen down to temp.

taz.

[Toosh]

Hi Natty, Have a look at this

http://www.geocities.com/shishusansar/science/ice.htm

Regards Norm

[taz24]

Hi Natty, Have a look at this

http://www.geocities.com/shishusansar/science/ice.htm

Regards Norm

Its a good site and quite informative.

The point is though how could a child keep water
frozen in a class for a week.
You need to think about the caperbilities of a child.
Where would a child or children get the quanties of ice and salt from to create a refrigeration effect.

taz

[taz24]

I think there is more to this post than it would seem.
The only person who is not contributing is the person who raised the question.

Without using an insulated box or a refrigerator how would a teacher expect ten year olds to keep ice frozen for a week?

I've got the equipment to put the milk container in a clear pastic vacume chamber but would a child be able to do that.

I'm a little bit older than ten and I don't know the answer.

taz

[richardb14]

That's what I was thinking, if its for a Ten year old then I'm guessing its more a theoretical problem rather than a practical one - and at Ten years old maybe learning about Vacuum would be the solution?

hence why I suggested a vacuum flask

[Argus]

.


It's this Guy's first post.

I think he's having a laugh.

Check the date....... oops - about 6 weeks to go......
.

[monkey spanners]

Check this out and notice near the end the frost on the bottle. Put milk carton nere bottle.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=74OrC57hFaM

Jon

[powell]

.
It's this Guy's first post.
I think he's having a laugh.
Check the date....... oops - about 6 weeks to go......
.

Yeah, one of those USA pranksters having a laugh at our expense.

[chillin out]

Guys, he only posted yesterday.

The question is a little too much for a ten year old though.

Chillin

[wambat]

Well i would do what Frederic Tudor did. I would make a small ice house, that is i would get a cardboard box and place the milk carton inside and fill the box with saw dust with at least 5" completely around the milk carton ( top, bottom and sides)and seal it with tape
Taz, "The only rule is that they cannot use a cooler such like a styrofoam container, or a refrigerator". You are stipulating your own conditions into the problem