How to Create Fog with Ice

Lena and Petya always loved doing science experiments in the kitchen. This time, Lena suggested creating real fog—right at home! She’d been wanting to try this and found an interesting way to do it with just a few simple ingredients: ice, water, and salt.

— Can you believe that by mixing water, ice, and salt in the right way, we can create real fog, just like on a rainy day outside? — Lena explained to Petya.

Petya looked at his sister in surprise:

— Really? I thought fog only appeared on cold mornings or in the evening. Can you make it just with ice and water?

Lena smiled and nodded:

— Yes, that’s right! When you add salt to ice, it lowers the freezing temperature of the water, which creates fog. We can make a little cloud of fog right here in the kitchen. We’ll need a deep bowl of water, some ice cubes, and a bit of salt.

First, they poured cold water into a deep bowl, filling it halfway. Then Lena brought out some large ice cubes from the freezer and carefully added them to the water.

— Are you ready to see some magic? — Lena asked with a smile, holding a packet of salt.

Petya nodded eagerly, holding his breath and watching her every move. Lena slowly started sprinkling salt into the water with the ice cubes. Within seconds, a light foggy mist started to rise above the water. Lena and Petya watched in delight as fog slowly surrounded the bowl, creating a mysterious atmosphere.

— Wow! It really looks like fog! — Petya exclaimed. — What do you think causes this effect?

Lena thought about it and answered:

— When salt touches the ice, it lowers the temperature of the water, creating supercooled air. And when this meets the warmer kitchen air, condensation forms—tiny droplets in the air that make it look foggy.

Petya was amazed:

— That’s so simple? I didn’t know you could make fog from just ice, water, and salt. It’s like a mini version of what happens outside on a foggy day.

Inspired by their success, they decided to repeat the experiment, adding even more salt and ice. This time, the fog was thicker and covered almost the entire surface of the bowl, creating an even more impressive “cloud” of fog.

— Amazing! Now it’s real fog! What if we try blowing air toward it? — Petya suggested, eager to experiment further.

Lena agreed. They took a small fan and gently directed it at the bowl of fog. A light stream of air started spreading the fog around the room, making an even more dramatic scene. Now their kitchen really felt like a foggy morning, and it was incredibly exciting and fascinating.

— This experiment was awesome, — Petya said, looking at the “fog” in the air.

— Yes, and now we know how fog is created, — Lena replied. — This experiment shows that even in the kitchen, you can create wonders if you know a little chemistry and physics.

The kids decided to write down the ingredients they used and exactly how they made the fog so they could try it again later or share it with friends. Lena also suggested they try another experiment next time to see how other substances affect water and temperature.

After putting away all the materials, Petya and Lena kept talking about how amazing it had been to see the fog appear. They were already looking forward to their next experiment and were ready for more scientific adventures!