If u put any solid substance in water........?

Question

then it sinks.Byt if we put an ice cube(which is totally solid),it doen't sink but floats.why??????????????????

Answer 1

Not every solid sinks.... it depnds on the density of the solids.

Answer 2

What sinks and what floats has to do with density, but more about the amount of water that is displaced as a result of the object being added. Water is a substance which expands when it freezes. Have you ever frozen ice cubes in a tray and filled the water to the top, and the ice either flowed over the top or expanded? The density of ice is less than the density of liquid water (hence its somewhat unique phase change diagram and the location of its triple point), so when you add it to liquid water, the amount of water it displaces is more massive than the amount of mass that's actually in the ice cube.

Man other solids have that same property, since liquid water is pretty dense. Obviously if you throw a quarter into water, it's going to sink, but try putting other, possibly hollow solids into water and see if you can make the same generalization about all solids sinking.

Answer 3

Buoyancy happens when the weight of the solid is less than the weight of the exact same volume of the water that surrounds it. It is the different in the weight that gives the object buoyancy.
If you saw the position that water molecules froze in you would see that a certain amount of water would expand to a larger volume but the same weight of ice. This lesser density gives it buoyancy.
The final point is that if you look closely in to an ice cube you will see pockets of gas that form when the ice forms. This gives lowers the weight per volume more and gives it more buoyancy.

Answer 4

not every solid substnace will sink,
it all depends on the density of an object. if an object is less dense (less weight more space) then water it will float but if an object is more dense(more weight less space) then water it will sink. ice is less dense then water because water is a polar molecule so when it freezes its particles have to align in a certain way, this way is more spread out so less dense, where as when it is in liquid form the particles are all jumbled around and are more dense.

Answer 5

Because the density of ice is less than the density of water. Being a solid is not a guarantee for it to float. A lost of solids have densities that are less than the one of water, so they float

Answer 6

Because ice is solid water and the density of ice is less than water. Think of it as having air in it. Water is one of the few materials that become less dense when they solidify. Oh, and many solids do float; from wood to styrofoam.

Answer 7

The ice cube does not sink in water because the weight of water displaced by it is more than the weight of the cube. e.g. a boat does not sink in water for the same reason.Man left to himself is also unsinkable.He sinks because by his frantic actions he reverses this. The discovery is attributed to Greek scientist who chanced upon it while he entered a tub of water for a bath. He came out immediately and started running through the streets crying Eureka! Eureka!!.

Answer 8

Any item that physically displaces a volume of water that weighs more than the item itself does will float, it has nothing to do with it being "solid". A one pound bar of lead sinks, but if you hammer it out into a bowl shape that displaces a volume of water that weighs more than one pound will float!

Ice actually has another thing that contributes to its bouyancy, it's full of air!

Answer 9

It has to do with density. If the density of the object is less then the density of water it will float, if not it will sink. Lots of solids float on water: wood, cork, wax ext.

Answer 10

Ice is more boyant than most other solid objects.

Other solid objects don't always sink when placed into water; many of them sink, but not always all of them.

Answer 11

The density of ice is less than water.