Friday, April 5, 2013

Why does ice floats in water even though most solids sink in water?

         Why does ice floats in water even though most solids sink in water?

Ice floats in water because ice is less denser than water. It is mostly due to the hydrogen bond in H2O molecule ( water molecule ) .
As the freezing point is reached , water molecules start to form hexagonal crystals of ice. These molecules are unable to pack together as tightly in the solid as in the liquid.
This property is important because otherwise large bodies of water would freeze from bottom to up . This would totally disrupt the ecosystem that live in very cold water. We know that , even though the water in polar areas or in very cold areas are freezed on the upper surface , below to that , water remains in liquid state thus making it useful for animals to live in.

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