Why are there holes in ice cubes in airplanes?
It could be due to boredom that I notice this, but it seems that only on airplanes ice cube have holes. Why is that?
Best Answer
It's because the machine that creates the cubes has metal prongs that the ice 'grows' around.
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Why do airplane ice cubes have holes?
The reason is probably most trivial: greater surface area allows for a greater rate of cooling. Holes are a neat way to increase surface area without increasing overall dimensions of the ice cube.Do Airplanes dump their waste in the air?
Airlines are not allowed to dump their waste tanks in mid-flight, and pilots have no mechanism by which to do so; however, leaks sometimes do occur from a plane's septic tank.Where does poop go on a plane?
Waste whizzes through the plumbing to the rear of the plane, where it's stored in sealed tanks, well away from passengers, until the plane touches down.Can planes fly with ice?
If there is snow or ice on the wing, the air will not flow smoothly and can break away from the surface. This results in a lack of lift. Therefore, for a speed that we have calculated will provide enough lift to take off, there will actually be less lift being generated.Why is there a HOLE in AIRPLANE windows?
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Answer 2
In the retail drinks trade (pubs, bars etc), machines that make these hollow ice cubes are often* used where there is not much room to store large quantities of ready-produced ice (such as in a much larger machine). The larger surface area to volume ratio means fresh ice cubes can be made more efficiently and quickly to meet demand - by the time one batch is used, the next is ready. The ice machine only needs a small storage capacity at a time to keep up.
*Of course, in warmer climates where ice is used in larger quantities, or in establishments where drinks depend on more ice (cocktail bar versus English pub), they will usually have larger capacity machines, but even then the hollow cube is common.
Answer 3
Typically those are used to identify ice cubes made from drinkable water. Restaurants use them in most parts of the world and those are not limited to planes. Actually, we were at a steakhouse just yesterday and my smallest daughter asked exactly the same question. She probably was bored too.
The comments to your question are interesting because they outline several advantages of these. Risk of choking being reduced is a great one. Obviously cost saving and efficiency are important too.
Answer 4
The surface area is bigger when it is hollow. More the surface area means that it helps cool the drink faster.
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