Question
Which colors absorb the most energy?
Materials
ice cube trays
food coloring
water
Methods
We filled the ice cube trays with water and then added food coloring to each slot. After freezing the ice cubes, we placed the ice cubes on the pavement and watched to see which color ice cube dissolved first.
Hypothesis
The darkest ice cubes will melt first because dark colors absorb more energy.
Results
The first ice cube to completely melt was dark green, and the last to melt was also dark green.
Conclusions
Since dark green ice cubes were both the first and last ice cubes to melt, the original size of the ice cube appears to be more important than the color. When comparing only ice cubes of similar size, the darker ice cubes melted faster than the lighter colored cubes. The lighter colored ice cubes are similar to snow and ice, therefore increases in snow and ice cover on the earth could result in more sunlight being reflected away from the earth and a cooling of climate.