Why does salt make ice melt faster?

You often see people spreading salt on icy roads in winter. It turns out salt isn't just a seasoning; it lowers the freezing point of water. When salt is sprinkled on ice, it first dissolves in the thin film of water on the ice's surface, making it harder for this water to refreeze. As a result, the ice continues to melt and can even remain in a melted state in environments below zero degrees. So, ice mixed with salt gets smaller faster not because the salt itself is hot, but because it changes the conditions for water to freeze. This is also why ice mixed with salt was used to create lower temperatures when making ice cream in the past.