Ice

[dexander]

Two friends of mine once decided to be roommates. One of the household issues they were constantly bickering over was the ice cube dispenser. They had one of those in the door dispensers that could be set to either crushed or cubed ice. One insisted that crushed ice didn't block the glass and cooled his drinks faster. The other complained that

Comments

[eparchos]

Once there the amount of melting will be a function of the surface area of the glass and temperature of the room but not the shape of the ice.

Chances are the alcohol+mixers will be significantly above the temperature of the ice when mixed, so surface area will make a very significant effect on the end "wateriness" of the drink.
useful link in English.

I'd say, at that point, that crushed ice > cubed ice, but it depends on the subjective demands of "cool v. watery" of the drink in question. I have experimented with this several times this evening and the general consensus (according to observers, as my own sense of decorum in these matters became consequentially impaired) was that cubed > crushed, at least in the case of drinks which can curdle.

[physicsguy]

For the most part, you're right. The end temperature will depend only on the initial masses and temperatures of the ice and drink. There are also complexities regarding how the liquid mixes to distribute energy as the temperatures change but, in the end, crushed ice should mix with the liquid faster than cube ice. Another consideration would be the relative amounts of ice used when using crushed versus cube ice. Crushed ice fits together more compactly so, what looks like the same volume of ice may differ in actual mass because of holes and pockets in the interior.

[jaberwockynmt]

One insisted that crushed ice didn't block the glass and cooled his drinks faster. The other complained that crushed ice watered down his alcohol.
They are both right.

I have thought about this a while and come to the conclusion that the amount of dilution must be directly proportional to the amount of heat the ice absorbs.
Only if the ice starts at 0 degrees C. If it starts cooler, it can absord some heat before it begins to melt.

The drink will cool to the temperature of the ice regardless of whether it is cubed or crushed.
The drink and ice will have equalized to some intermediate temperature dependant on the initial temperatures of the ice, drink, and glass, on the temperature of the environment around the glass, and on the mass proportion of ice to drink.

At that point it will have melted exactly the same amount of water no matter which geometric form the ice took. The only differences I can see is that the increased surface area of crushed ice may mean it gets to this temperature faster. Once there the amount of melting

[somanesa]

Yep. The higher surface area of crushed ice ensures that the ice will absorb heat faster, which is what Friend A desires