Background Information Solutions consist of a solute and a solvent. The solute is usually a solid that dissolves in the solvent.
Salts are common solutes and water is by far the most common solvent.
Some substances are insoluble in water, but many more substances are soluble in water to some degree. The solubility of a substance in water depends on several factors. One of the most important factors is temperature. This activity is written to use any salt to finding the temperature dependence of solubility. Table salt or NaCl is cheap and easy for teachers to obtain.