Which method can be used to separate salt from sand?

Prepare for the Praxis Elementary Education Science (5005) Test. Utilize flashcards and multiple choice questions, each accompanied by hints and explanations. Get ready to excel in your exam!

The most effective method to separate salt from sand involves boiling the mixture with water. This process allows the salt to dissolve in the water while the sand remains undissolved. When you add water to the mixture, the salt crystals disperse into the liquid, forming a saltwater solution, while the sand settles at the bottom.

Once the salt has dissolved, filtration can be used to separate the sand from the saltwater solution. After filtering out the sand, the salt can be recovered by evaporating the water, leaving the salt behind. This method is particularly effective because it uses the solubility of salt in water to achieve the separation, leveraging the different physical properties of the two substances.

The other methods, while they might seem relevant, do not effectively separate the two materials in this context. For instance, filtration alone is insufficient since salt cannot be separated through size alone, as both components could pass through the filter if the salt remains undissolved. Similarly, dissolving in alcohol is not ideal in this case because salt generally does not dissolve in alcohol, and evaporation, which typically follows after dissolving, would not be the first step.

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