Question

Describe the best method for separating a mixture of sand, salt, and steel shavings by placing the steps below in the correct order.

Heat the mixture to evaporate the water.
Pour the mixture through a filter to separate the sand.
Pass a magnet over the mixture to remove the steel.
Add water to the sand/salt mixture and stir to dissolve the salt.

Answer 1

To separate a mixture of sand, salt, and steel shavings, you can follow these steps in the correct order:

1. **Pass a magnet over the mixture to remove the steel.**
This step will extract the steel shavings from the mixture since they are magnetic.

2. **Pour the mixture through a filter to separate the sand.**
After removing the steel, you can filter the remaining mixture to separate the sand from the salt solution.

3. **Add water to the sand/salt mixture and stir to dissolve the salt.**
Once you have the sand and salt mixture, adding water will dissolve the salt, leaving the sand as a solid.

4. **Heat the mixture to evaporate the water.**
Finally, you can heat the saltwater solution to evaporate the water, leaving you with the salt.

Following these steps will effectively separate the components of the mixture.