In my personal experience, I have found that copper does indeed make ice melt faster. Let me explain why.
Firstly, let’s talk about the heat conductivity of copper. As I mentioned earlier, copper has a much higher heat conductivity compared to brass. This means that copper is much better at transferring heat from one area to another. In the case of melting ice, this means that a copper plate is able to transport much more heat to its colder areas, such as the surface in contact with the ice.
When you place a copper plate on top of ice, the plate quickly absorbs heat from its surroundings. This heat is then conducted through the copper plate and transferred to the ice. The high heat conductivity of copper allows the heat to spread evenly across the plate, ensuring that the entire surface of the ice is exposed to the warmth.
As a result, the ice begins to melt at a faster rate compared to if a brass plate or any other material with lower heat conductivity was used. The heat conducted by the copper plate accelerates the energy transfer process, causing the ice to melt more quickly.
I have personally observed this phenomenon when using copper pans to melt ice cubes. The copper pans heat up much faster than other materials, and as a result, the ice cubes melt at a rapid pace. This can be particularly useful when you need to quickly cool down a hot beverage or prepare a cold drink.
To summarize, the high heat conductivity of copper allows it to effectively transfer heat to colder areas, such as ice. This speeds up the melting process and makes ice melt faster when in contact with a copper surface. So, if you’re looking to melt ice quickly, using a copper plate or any other copper-based material would be a great choice.