Which method is used to separate sand from a mixture of sand and water?

The method used to separate sand from a mixture of sand and water is filtration. In this process, a filter paper is placed in a funnel, allowing the water to pass through while the sand, being solid and much larger in particle size, cannot go through the filter. As a result, the sand collects on the filter paper and the clean water can be collected in the container below. This technique is effective because it relies on differences in particle size and state of matter (solid vs. liquid).

Crystallisation is primarily used for separating solutes from solutions and is based on the process of forming solid crystals from a solution, which wouldn't apply directly to separating sand from water. Simple distillation is used when separating liquids based on different boiling points, and fractional distillation is similar but used for separating a mixture of liquids with closer boiling points. Neither of these methods would effectively separate sand from water, where solid and liquid phases are involved.