Does Ice Melt Faster in Water or Air?
The answer is that ice melts faster in water than in air at the same temperature. Why: Ice melting in air depends on the heat capacity in air as opposed to the Cp in water. The transfer of heat is better in water a more condensed phase than air; water has a more intimate contact with the ice, that is its surrounded by water; in air you have heat transfer from the air which is much less efficient, it does not have the contact with ice that water would. The reverse would be which would keep fluids cold more quickly and for a longer period of time. The experiment would be to compare how fast you can chill, or cool down a liquid in a cooler, one with just ice and the other with ice + water. It would be the later because of the chilled waters are in more contact with what you have put in the cooler. Without water you only have various points in the cooler were the ice will make contact with the container of liquid you want cold. With water added it would accelerate the heat transfer process
