# Tomorrow is Ice Melting Day **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [June 30, 2010, 8:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tomorrow-is-ice-melting-day/545113 "2010-06-30T20:45:15Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![StGermain](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stgermain/32/2868_2.png) [@StGermain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StGermain)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2010, 8:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tomorrow-is-ice-melting-day/545113/1 "2010-06-30T20:45:15Z")
It’s hot in Phoenix. Very hot. My sister works for Fender Guitar, and they’re having a pool to guess how long it will take to melt a 10lb block of ice in the sun. This is an anual event, with the winner taking the pool (not of formerly-ice) and a Fender T-shirt. It’s a corollary to [the Melt-The-Bunny Day](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=524524) I posted about last year. Here are the specs: > [@](#): > > Well, the weather outside is perfect for our third annual Ice Melt Day!!! The temperatures this week are expected to be above 110 degrees. So this Thursday July 1st is the day. Temperature that day is expected to be 112 degrees. Okay, this is the deal: > > We will be melting a 10 pound block of Ice this Thursday. > > The Ice will place outside in the east parking lot, outside of the lunch room at 9:00 a.m. > > It will be placed on a black grate so that the water will drip through it. > > It will be about 2-3 foot off the ground, basically free floating in the hot air. > > Please send me your name and time (hour:minute:seconds) you think it will take to completely melt. (we need the exact time, it came down to seconds last year) > > Entry fee = $1.00. Winner take all, plus a t-shirt of your choice from the store. Anyone want to guess? I would’ve won last year, but my sister didn’t get my bet in on time. StG ---
**Author:** ![Cunctator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/43a26b/32.png) [@Cunctator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cunctator)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2010, 10:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tomorrow-is-ice-melting-day/545113/2 "2010-06-30T22:43:44Z")
What an interesting competition. I have absolutely no idea how long it will take. 3 hours? Meanwhile, we’re experiencing [record low temperatures](http://www.weatherzone.com.au/news/sydney-shivers-through-its-coldest-morning-in-61-years/14542) ---
**Author:** ![ShibbOleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/848f3c/32.png) [@ShibbOleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ShibbOleth)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2010, 11:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tomorrow-is-ice-melting-day/545113/3 "2010-06-30T23:41:57Z")
At what point is it considered to be “melted” - when it no longer is in the air, or when it’s only water and water vapor? If I had a similar set up, it would be fun to set one out here and “race” you. I’m sure you’d win, we’re only in the 90s, but maybe by not as much as you might think. What was the winning time last year? ---
**Author:** ![mnemosyne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c4cdca/32.png) [@mnemosyne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mnemosyne)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2010, 11:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tomorrow-is-ice-melting-day/545113/4 "2010-06-30T23:55:27Z")
_glances at back of the envelope (literally!) calculations_ _severely doubts her work_ _remembers her Heat Transfer grade, and understands the source of the doubt_ 10:56:04 ---
**Author:** ![StGermain](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stgermain/32/2868_2.png) [@StGermain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StGermain)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2010, 12:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tomorrow-is-ice-melting-day/545113/5 "2010-07-01T00:18:55Z")
**Shib** - As I understand it, the melting is considered finished when the rack is empty. The time last year was 4 hours, 52 minutes, 10 seconds. StG ---
**Author:** ![notfrommensa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/f14d63/32.png) [@notfrommensa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/notfrommensa)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2010, 1:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tomorrow-is-ice-melting-day/545113/6 "2010-07-01T01:59:15Z")
At the risk of asking a stupid question. How cold is the ice? ---
**Author:** ![MannyL](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba8739/32.png) [@MannyL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MannyL)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2010, 4:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tomorrow-is-ice-melting-day/545113/7 "2010-07-01T04:59:06Z")
> [@notfrommensa](#): > > At the risk of asking a stupid question. > > How cold is the ice? Ice Cold? ---
**Author:** ![StGermain](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stgermain/32/2868_2.png) [@StGermain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StGermain)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2010, 12:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tomorrow-is-ice-melting-day/545113/8 "2010-07-02T00:29:58Z")
Well, this year’s contest is over. The melt time this year was 3 hours, 57 minutes and 31 seconds! StG ---
**Author:** ![mnemosyne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c4cdca/32.png) [@mnemosyne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mnemosyne)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2010, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tomorrow-is-ice-melting-day/545113/9 "2010-07-02T19:48:23Z")
Dammit! Off by a factor of two! ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2010, 9:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tomorrow-is-ice-melting-day/545113/10 "2010-07-02T21:10:11Z")
I would have gone with “still there when the sun goes down”. Oops.