6 totally awesome experiments you can do with salt

Salt is everywhere. There are salt deposits underground and above ground. In fact, the world's oceans have so much salt that if it were extracted and dried out, the salt would cover all of the land 114 feet deep, according to Maldon Salt. The salt you see on your table comes from mined salty brine.
Although different versions of salt exist (the stuff you put on sidewalks is not the same as what you put on fries), all types of salt have similar properties. If you want to explore a few cool ways you can use salt, check out these experiments.
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Melting ice with salt (h/t The Science Kiddo)
Salt melts ice because it changes the melting point of the ice. In this experiment, such little ice is used on the string that the ice freezes again, trapping the string inside.
Saltwater density (h/t Buggy and Buddy)
In this fun experiment, you'll get a colorful glimpse at water density. Oil floats on water because it is less dense. The food coloring sort of sits in the middle of the oil. When you add salt, the food coloring becomes heavier and drops down into the water with a bit of oil. Once the salt dissolves, the oil becomes lighter again and floats back up to the top.
Salt pendulum (h/t Babble and Dabble)
This is a fun visual to watch how a pendulum's momentum changes how fast and far it moves and rotates. By swapping out colors and the direction the pendulum swings, you can create some fun artwork, too.
Float an egg (h/t Uplifting Mayhem)
The Great Salt Lake in Utah is aptly named for its high salt content. The high concentration (created because there is no outlet for the water, only inlets) makes it impossible for someone to sink in the lake. If you'd rather not jump in and test it yourself, you can get an idea of how it works with this experiment. The added salt makes the water denser so an egg (which should sink) can't.
Salt and vinegar penny cleaner
A little bit of salt and a little bit of vinegar make copper pennies look brand new in no time. The vinegar (a weak acid) helps break down the oxidation of the copper. The salt molecules rub against the copper, making it shine.
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