Comments

1. Actually, the density of ice is less than that of water.  If it were more dense, when say water in a pond freezes, it would sink and trap all the fish and living stuff beneath it! Ice floats.  In simple terms without knowing the actual physical changes that cause it, as water starts to freeze, it expands and thus you have more volume.  Plug a large volume into the density equation density=mass/volume, and you have a lower density! i.e d=1/2 which is 0.5 is more dense than say d=1/3 which is .333

   Hope that helps with my limited scope of explanation ability!

   Trevin Hurt on Wednesday, 08 October 2008, 16:36 CDT # |

2. Very nicely explained, Trevin. As you can see in the "Freezing Point" button of this Chemical Properties of Water cramlet, to quote My Cousin Vinny: "Everything he just said is 100% accurate."

   I love to see students helping other students!

   Rudy on Wednesday, 08 October 2008, 19:55 CDT # |

3. Oh, and check out this cramlet for the whole density thing explained.

   Rudy on Thursday, 09 October 2008, 15:38 CDT # |

4. I agree with Rudy about Trevin's excellent answer being the density of water is more than that of ice. Here is a layman's explanation of what goes on when water freezes. As water freezes, the molecules lock into a crystalline pattern that puts the molecules into right-angle patterns. Liquid water molecules roll around each other and are more compact, thus more dense. This is not typical for objects - most expand with heat and become more dense when they freeze. Water is unique.

   Jack Robinson on Friday, 10 October 2008, 19:01 CDT # |

5. i am no rocket scientist, but i seem to remember that the density of ice is 0.9. that is why one tenths of an iceberg floats above the water. thus the proverb (or whatever you call it) "tip of the iceberg".

   subramanian on Sunday, 12 October 2008, 22:19 CDT # |