if you put a glass in the freezer, halfway full with lukewarm water, will the glass break when water freezes?

Question

i'm quite certain that the glass would break, but it'd be great if someone could give me a definitive answer as to why the glass would break. or, should i be wrong, someone give me details as to why i'm actually wrong.

Answer 1

yes the glass would break because unlike any other liquid water expands when frozen therefore the glass would break regardless of how full it is

Answer 2

Short answer: It depends.

Longer answer: It depends on the size of the glass, thickness of the glass and the angle of the sides of the glass. For example, if you put a small glass with thick, tapered sides in the freezer (think shot glass), as the water froze it would expand mostly upward and probably not develop enough force to break the glass. At the opposite extreme, a large glass with thin, straight sides (think cheap Wal-Mart glass) would probably break because as the water froze and expanded, all the resulting force would go to the side and push directly against the thin glass. There would also be more force pushing on the sides due to the larger volume of freezing water in the larger glass.

Answer 3

It depends on the glass. If the water has somewhere to go it will not break ie if the top is open. If on the other hand the glass is closed there is more of a chance it will break due to the expanded water and air pressure. Also the weaker hte glass the easier it will be to break.

Answer 4

Why you want to do this ... if it is important for you to know this, put the glass in a plastic bag before you do this.... it will save you lot of cleaning, .... if you are right. Anyway water expends after freezing so glass may break. It has nothing to do with .. if water is likewarm, cold or hot when you put it. Try with wider glass (used for whiskey), and it may not break.

Answer 5

The glass would not break because the water and the tempurature of the glass would not be that diffent, the glass would only break if the glass were hot and the water was cold or vice-versa.

Answer 6

It doesn't matter the temperature of the water when you put it in the freezer. The glass will not break.
Now if you put hot water in a frozen glass it would break. I can't explain why but it is true.

Answer 7

The glass half full will not break because it has room to expand as it freezes. A full item such as a soda can WILL burst or break because when the fluid freezes and expands, it has nowhere to go but "out".

Answer 8

No. The glass won't break if it is not sealed(like a bottle). The Water will expand upwards as it freezes.

Answer 9

Most of these answers are nonsense. If the container is not sealed, it will not break. Period. Have you ever seen an ice cube tray break from freezing water? Regardless of the geometry, it will not happen.

Answer 10

it would depend on the geometry of the glass.
if the glass top is roughly equal or less in diameter than the base it will bust.
if the top is larger than the base it will not.