But have you ever wondered why they put salt on the roads to help get rid of ice? It’s quite simple, really.

Every substance has 3 possible states – solid, liquid or gas. Water at a normal temperature is a liquid – heat it up sufficiently and it turns in to a gas, cool it down and it turns to a solid – ice. The molecules within water virtually stand still at 0 Celsius, hence it becomes solid.

However, adding salt to the mix destabilizes the molecules – salt DOES NOT freeze at 0C. Salt water won’t freeze until it hits somewhere between -10 and -20C (depending on the salt-to-water ratio) and is therefore a liquid at 0C. If you sprinkle some salt on a patch of ice, you will see the ice melt from the area you started in and gradually melt further and further out – this is caused by the slat molecules spreading throughout the water/ice.

Of course, when the air temperature is -20C to start with, you may have to consider breaking out the pick-axe…