Monday: Science
What is the primary reason that ice floats on water?
Make Your Pick!
Hint: The structure of this solid state causes molecules to spread out slightly more than in the liquid state.
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Ice floats on water because it is less dense than liquid water—a rare property among substances.
As water freezes, its molecules form a crystalline structure maintained by hydrogen bonds. This lattice holds the molecules slightly further apart than they are in the liquid state, increasing the volume without increasing the mass. Since density is mass divided by volume, this expansion lowers the density of ice, making it buoyant. Most substances become denser when they transition from liquid to solid, but water is an important exception. This anomaly plays a crucial role in Earth’s ecosystems: for instance, ice forming on the surface of lakes insulates the water below, helping aquatic life survive in winter.
