Why Ice Floats Instead Of Sinking Might Surprise You
Published: 1 hour ago·156·1 min read
Why Ice Floats Instead Of Sinking Might Surprise You (Image: Fakta Unik)
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Have you ever dropped ice into a glass and wondered why it always floats? After all, ice is just fro... Have you ever dropped ice into a glass and wondered why it always floats? After all, ice is just frozen water, so you'd expect it to behave the same way. Surprisingly, it doesn't.
When water freezes, its molecules spread farther apart than they do in liquid form. That change makes ice less dense than liquid water, which is why it stays on the surface instead of sinking.
This small scientific detail has a huge impact on life on Earth. If ice sank, lakes and oceans in cold regions could freeze from the bottom up, making it much harder for aquatic life to survive through winter.
