Re: Where can I research melting ice without heat?

Dear Allison,

Believe it or not, the only way ice can melt is by taking in heat from
somewhere else.  "Heat" can appear to take many different forms depending 
on
where it is on something called the Electromagnetic Spectrum.  That's a
fancy term for something that's kind of like what a rainbow is like.  The
light you see from the sun is white because it is made up of many colors,
but when it goes through a prism, it comes out all different colors because
the prism separates them.  Red is at one end and violet is at the other,
kind of like notes on a piano.  Each one is a different frequency, but they
are all energy.  Red would be the low notes and violet the high ones.
Things that are white reflect energy, and things that are black absorb
energy.  Snow reflects the energy of the sun and stays cold like 
Antarctica,
while the black asphalt of a road absorbs it and gets hot.  I thought of an
experiment you might try.  Get three small, inexpensive white styrofoam
coolers like you would use for a picnic.
You will also need to get some Saran Wrap, and a piece of tarpaper big
enough to replace one of the covers.  Fill each of the coolers with the
exactly same amount of ice.  Put the regular cover on one, use the Saran
Wrap to cover the second one, and use the tarpaper to cover the third one.
Make sure that the last two are tightly sealed around the top.  First thing
in the morning, put all three next to each other where the sun will shine 
on
them equally all day.  Take a peek at them every few hours, but remember to
seal them back up tight, (duct tape works well for that).  At the end of 
the
day, measure how much water is at the bottom of the cooler.  Let me know
what happens.  Good luck.

Rick Becker