science

Salt and ice challenge

Salt and ice challenge is a science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Salt and ice challenge rather than just read about it. In short: The salt and ice challenge is an Internet challenge in which participants pour salt on their bodies, usually on the arm, and ice is then placed on the salt. This causes a "burning" sensation similar to frostbite, and participants try to withstand the pain for the longest time.

Key takeaways

Salt and ice challenge belongs to science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Salt and ice challenge to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Salt and ice challenge from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

The salt and ice challenge is an Internet challenge in which participants pour salt on their bodies, usually on the arm, and ice is then placed on the salt. This causes a "burning" sensation similar to frostbite, and participants try to withstand the pain for the longest time. The challenge can be recorded and posted on YouTube or other forms of social media. The ice and salt create an eutectic frigorific mixture which can get as cold as −18 °C (0 °F). The stunt can quickly cause second- and third-degree injuries similar to frostbite or being burnt with the metal end of a lighter, as well as causing painful open sores to form on the skin. Due to the numbing sensation of the cold and possible nerve damage during the stunt, participants are often unaware of the extent of any injuries sustained during the challenge, only feeling pain once the salt on their skin enters lesions created during the challenge. Skin discoloration from the challenge may remain after the challenge has been attempted.

Scientific explanation The salt and ice form an eutectic frigorific mixture. Molecular polarity is key to this reaction. The ions in sodium chloride (table salt) are heavily influenced by the molecular polarizability of the ice. The difference between the spacing of the electrons in the table salt and ice causes this reaction. The melting point of ice is decreased due to the incorporation of table salt and this then causes a binding of the two substances. The ice is neutralized by the salt, thus causing the ice to melt more easily and quickly.

Health hazards and injury recovery The stunt leaves behind an ice burn that increases in severity the longer the chemical reaction on the skin continues. In this ice burn, the ice crystals that form have the potential to burn and scar the skin permanently. Blistering at the site of injury is common in more severe cases. The freezing of tissue between the dermal and epidermal levels of the skin leads to a disruption in blood circulation, initially causing frost nip. After a few days, depending on the severity and duration of the burn, epithelial cells should slowly regenerate along with scarring and surface disruption.

In popular culture The salt and ice challenge was popularized on YouTube and other social media in the late 2000s and early 2010s. The first documented video of the salt and ice challenge was posted to YouTube in 2006 by user OxZmoran. They performed the stunt and garnered over 100,000 views. The first viral salt and ice challenge was posted to the entertainment site eBaum's World, in which a group of teenagers attempted the challenge and garnered almost 500,000 views. This virality led to other popular influencers, YouTubers, and online personalities attempting the salt and ice challenge and posting the results online.

Online news and media Due to the challenge's increase in popularity during the 2010s, many local and national news stations reported incidents of the challenge harming those involved and warning against it. CBS News reported a case in Pittsburgh in 2012 in which a teen received serious burns from attempting the challenge. In 2017, ABC Action News described how many teens are influenced by online videos, and that by attempting these challenges they can be sent to the hospital. Media talk shows such as the Today Show posted an article directed to parents of teens, highlighting the dangers of social media and virality when influencing those to try online challenges.

See also Cinnamon challenge Banana Sprite challenge Gallon challenge Saltine cracker challenge Tide Pod challenge

References

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Salt and ice challenge

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Salt and ice challenge claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Salt and ice challenge before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Salt and ice challenge ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Salt and ice challenge

In research: Salt and ice challenge appears in science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Salt and ice challenge in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Salt and ice challenge is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Ice, Internet challenges, Salts, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Salt and ice challenge outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Salt and ice challenge in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Salt and ice challenge means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Salt and ice challenge out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Salt and ice challenge in simple terms?

Why does Salt and ice challenge matter?

Because it connects several science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Salt and ice challenge?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Salt and ice challenge.