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.
a) Summarize the steps of the scientific method by answering the questions in each box below.