Jem's Pykrete Challenge

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In this activity, learners make pykrete by freezing a mixture of water and a material like cotton wool, grass, hair, shredded paper, wood chips, or sawdust. Learners discover that pykrete has some interesting properties, since compared to normal ice it melts slowly and is much stronger and tougher. Use this activity to talk about the advantages and disadvantages of different types of materials. Notes: Since pykrete will melt, testing should be done outdoors. Video is not available in the US, but it is not needed to understand how to do the activity.

Quick Guide

Preparation Time:
Under 5 minutes
Learning Time:
4 to 24 hours
Estimated Materials Cost:
1 cent - $1 per student
Age Range:
Ages 4 - adult
Resource Types:
Activity, Experiment/Lab Activity
Language:
English

Materials List (per student)

  • A long narrow box (an empty plastic wrap or foil box is suggested, but feel free to experiment)
  • Water
  • Your special 'pykrete' material, such as cotton wool, grass, hair, shredded paper, wood chips, or sawdust
  • A set of bathroom scales

Keywords

Subjects

  • Earth and Space Science
    • Earth Structure
      • Oceans and Water
  • Engineering and Technology
    • Engineering
      • Mechanical Engineering
      • Metallurgy and Materials Engineering
  • Physical Sciences
    • Heat and Thermodynamics
      • Heat and Temperature
    • Chemistry
      • Chemical Bonding
    • States of Matter
      • Solids
    • Structure and Properties of Matter
      • Atomic Structure

Informal Categories

  • Outdoor Activity

Audience

To use this activity, learners need to:

  • see
  • touch

Learning styles supported:

  • Involves hands-on or lab activities

Other

This resource is part of:

Access Rights:

  • Free access

By:

Rights:

  • All rights reserved, BBC, 2012