What freezes faster in an ice tray, cool or hot water?

In summary, some argue that putting hot water in an ice tray will freeze quicker than cool water. However, this is a misconception as there are many variables that can affect the freezing time, such as circulation, evaporation, and previous boiling. In most cases, cold water will freeze faster than hot water. This has been known as the "Mpemba effect", but it is not a consistent phenomenon and more research needs to be done to fully understand it. Additionally, the commonly cited "proof" for hot water freezing faster is flawed as it assumes all other conditions remain equal, which is not always the case. Therefore, it is best to stick with the general understanding that cold water will freeze faster than hot water.
  • #36
This thread appears to have more lives than Joan Collin's career!

Zz.
 
Physics news on Phys.org
  • #37
Something slightly interesting...
My roomie decided to steal some of my vodka and replace it with water. I keep my vodka in the freezer though. The first time he did this it was pretty obvious when I came home and found vodka slush in the bottle. The second time though the vodka looked fine until I poured it. Suddenly there were ice crystals (kinda like snow flakes) in the glass as I poured the vodka. And when I agitated the bottle it turned into a thick slush. If I left it sitting in the freezer after that it returned to a purely liquid state eventually. Annoying but interesting.
 
  • #38
My neighbor's son tried this experiment a few years ago. He heated the water in his mothers coffee maker...then placed the hot water...still in the glass coffee pot...in the freezer.

You know the rest...inconclusive results to the experiment..due to an unforeseen variable.
 
  • #39
TheStatutoryApe said:
Something slightly interesting...
My roomie decided to steal some of my vodka and replace it with water. I keep my vodka in the freezer though. The first time he did this it was pretty obvious when I came home and found vodka slush in the bottle. The second time though the vodka looked fine until I poured it. Suddenly there were ice crystals (kinda like snow flakes) in the glass as I poured the vodka. And when I agitated the bottle it turned into a thick slush. If I left it sitting in the freezer after that it returned to a purely liquid state eventually. Annoying but interesting.

A lot of people store their Absolut and Stoli in the freezer.
 

Similar threads

  • Mechanical Engineering
Replies
32
Views
3K
Replies
14
Views
1K
  • Introductory Physics Homework Help
Replies
17
Views
3K
Replies
6
Views
3K
  • Thermodynamics
Replies
14
Views
695
Replies
9
Views
1K
  • General Engineering
Replies
11
Views
2K
  • Biology and Chemistry Homework Help
Replies
3
Views
1K
Replies
1
Views
1K
  • Introductory Physics Homework Help
Replies
10
Views
2K
Back
Top