Question

Matt, Erin, and Lauren were having a challenge to see who could dissolve a one-pound cube of sugar the quickest. Matt puts his sugar cube in a bucket of water and stirs it with a wooden spoon. Erin heats up the water before putting it into her bucket and uses a wood spoon to stir it. What must Lauren do to make her sugar cube dissolve quicker than Matt and Erin?

Answer 1

Generally speaking, there are three factors that affect how fast a solid dissolves in a liquid:

1. Stirring (this is also called convection)
2. Temperature (the higher the temperature the faster the solid dissolves)
3. Surface area (the higher the surface area the faster the solid dissolves)

Matt uses the first one, while Erin uses the first two. In order to win, Lauren has to use all three, that is: Heat up the water, stirr it with a wooden spoon, and break up the cube of sugar into smaller portions (or a fine dust).

Answer 2

Use the wooden spoon to break the sugar cube into fine particles and then put it into hot water and stir it with the wooden spoon