A group of scientists recently proposed the idea that beets
should replace salt for melting winter ice. The scientists
pointed out that because beets grow underground, they
continue to grow in freezing conditions. Thus, they
hypothesized, an extract of beet roots could melt ice on roads
in winter.
To test this hypothesis, the scientists froze equal volumes of
water on two separate plates. They spread an extract of beet
roots on one plate of ice and sprinkled an equal amount of
salt over the other plate. After keeping both plates at 0°C (the
temperature at which water freezes) for a period of time, they
measured the amount of melted water on each plate. Their
results showed that the plate treated with beet extract
contained more liquid water than the plate treated with salt.
What is the hypothesis?
