Big vs Small Ice Cubes: Does Size Matter?

[Pengwuino]

Ok I've always had this weird feeling/fear that if i use like, the chopped off parts of ice cubes (the small parts you get when you 'crack open' a tray of ice cubes) in my cup for sodas... that the ice will melt quicker and dilute my soda quicker then if i used the big nice ice cubes that come out of the trays... is there any legitamacy with my fear :D

 

[matthyaouw]

I'd say Yeah. If you have the same volume of ice, but a bigger surface area exposed to the warmer drink, it will melt faster. Why don't you try it out with 2 glasses of water, a whole ice cube and a broken up one?

 

[Grogs]

Yeah, this is definitely true. Everything else being equal (amount of soda&ice, temp of soda, same type of glass, etc) the crushed ice will melt faster. Look at a radiator in a car or an air conditioner. The reason it has all the fins is to maximize the surface area for heat to dissipate from. On the positive side, crushed ice will cool the drink more quickly than cubed ice. Also, both drinks will both reach the same equillibrium condition (i.e. watered down), but it's just a matter of how long.

 

[Phobos]

Excellent suggestion mattyaouw. Let's get out there and experiment!
(BTW, I agree with matthyaouw & Grogs.)