Why ice has Bigger Volume Than Water
Most recent answer: 03/24/2013
Q:
Why does the volume of water increases when freezing
- Ali fayad (age 14)
Lebanon
- Ali fayad (age 14)
Lebanon
A:
Hello Ali,
It has something with microscopic structure of water. As you may know, a water molecule consists of one oxygen atom and two hydrogen atoms. When they freeze, water molecules arrange into a crystal structure. It happens that, unlike most crystals, this one happens to have an arrangement that takes up a little more room than the liquid. There are a few other liquids that expand when they freeze, but it isn't very common. Sorry that it's hard to give a more detailed answer.
Hope this helps.
Lingyi + Mike W.
(published on 03/24/2013)