Problem

An ice cube at 0°C measures 10.0 cm on a side. It sits on top of a copper block with a squ...

An ice cube at 0°C measures 10.0 cm on a side. It sits on top of a copper block with a square cross section 10.0 cm on a side and a length of 20.0 cm. The block is partially immersed in a large pool of water at 90.0 °C. How long does it take the ice cube to melt? Assume that only the part in contact with the copper liquefies; that is, the cube gets shorter as it melts. The density of ice is 0.917 g/cm3.

Step-by-Step Solution

Solution 1

Step #1 of 5

THINK:

Calculate the heat required to melt the ice at its melting point. This heat can be calculated by the taking the product of the mass of the ice and its latent heat of fusion of ice. Next, we calculate the heat transfer from the water to copper rod. This heat transfer will depend on the thermal conductivity, area of cross section, the width of the copper and the temperature difference between the copper rod and water. Finally, we can calculate the time required to melt the ice by dividing the heat required to melt the ice with the heat transfer rate.

Step #2 of 5

RESEARCH:

The heat required to melt the ice cube is given by