The whine of nature

[tenel]

So today's rant will not be about the weather, per se, but rather why I feel GA is not doing so well (test wise) in the subject of science

Comments

[raykel]

This was really interesting, Luci. Growing up in MI, I knew you salt roads to melt ice, but I didn't remember my science enough to know why.

[kyp]

Don't let her fool you. She's been raving about this for days, now. In such a manner that an armed mugger would be TERRIFIED to approach her.

[tenel]

I just realized I wrote a YouTube script. I may have to see what I can do with it laters.

[eliz]

Do they use brine down there? They started doing it here a while ago- I was a little skeptic since I'm used to old school rock salt.

It works. There's a definite improvement on the roads when they use it-- the main roads clear up much faster.

Sand on snow/ice cracks me up.

[bubblesbrnaid]

As long as it took NC to get around to the salt thing, it's going to be another hundred years before Georgia catches on.

Of course, it'll probably that long before they get another storm like this.

I LIKE THIS IDEA!

[tenel]

Brine makes sense. It is just a salt solution (with a few unworrisome impurities). Gives it more surface area, in a way more entropy ridden state (salt is already aqueous so...the particles are way more crazy in this state than in the solid form we spread on the ice). With the more accessible entropy form being used, the salt can get to work faster. Only one side effect I can see happening, the salt is already surrounded by a LOT more water particles so the lovely DEHYDRATING affect is a bit negated because each salt crystal reaches 'saturation' faster. But still, the initial problem is gone, water can't form ice crystals so the roads are safer to travel.

[duncatra]

They used SAND? SAND?!? Oh my god. I'm no science geek, but do they not have even have Google?

And while salt may not be cheap, I'm pretty sure it's less expensive than having to shut down an entire city for a couple days.

What I've got in my garage and have been using on the sidewalks is a mix of salt and some other chemical (Calcium chloride, maybe? It looks like little flakes.) All I know is that it works.

[tenel]

I thought you'd like this one, filmed right on THE major street of Atlanta, Peachtree Street.

[duncatra]

/facepalm

[tenel]

They did start the sand/salt mixture thing on Thursday. *facepalm*

[dm_lunsford]

Oh for crying out loud. I know we in the south may not be "prepared" for lots of snow in the same manner as our northern neighbors, but just sand? What were they thinking? At least in our area, because they'd salted before the snow hit, all the main roads were clear by the first afternoon, even if the snow hung around for days.