Does ice float in water because it has a less dense molecular matrix than water itself or?

Question

does it float because of the amount of water it displaces?

Answer 1

both, because it is less dense than water, it displaces more than it weighs (if it were full submerged.) Ice displaces exactly its weight when its floating.

Answer 2

Like most things that float, ice floats because it is less dense than liquid water. Ice is about 9% less dense. When ice forms, it takes up about 9% more space than it did as a liquid. Thus, a 1 liter container of ice weighs less than a 1 liter container of liquid water, and the lighter material floats to the top. As we said, water is different.

Answer 3

1) Ice is less dense than water, and therefore the volume of water displaced to equal the weight of the ice is less than the volume of the ice. Therefore the ice floats.

2) Ice is less dense than water because it has a crystalline structure with regular spacing between molecules, while water's molecular structure is amorphous, and the molecules can get closer together on average.

Answer 4

Water is different. With most everything on Earth except freshwater, the colder it gets, the more dense it becomes. Take alcohol for instance. If we were to fill up a 1 liter container with pure alcohol at 30 degrees Celsius (86 Fahrenheit) and then take another 1 liter container and fill it with pure alcohol at 10 degrees Celsius (50 Fahrenheit) the cooler container of alcohol would weigh more. This is because the cooler alcohol is more dense, so more alcohol molecules can fit in the same container. This is true with freshwater too, up to a point. But at about 4 degrees Celsius (40 Fahrenheit) water reaches its densest point. Amazingly, as water cools further, it actually becomes less dense.

Each water molecule is made of 2 hydrogen atoms and 1 oxygen atom. These are connected to one another by very strong chemical bonds called covalent bonds. Water molecules are connected to each other by much weaker chemical bonds called hydrogen bonds between the positively charged hydrogen atoms, and one negatively charged oxygen atom in a neighboring water molecule.

As water gets colder than 4 degrees Celsius (40 Fahrenheit) the hydrogen bonds connecting different water molecules adjust to keep the negatively charged oxygen atoms apart. This results in a crystal latice which begins to form at less than 4 degrees Celsius. This crystal latice is completely formed at freezing, and is commonly known as ice.

So, why does ice float? Like most things that float, ice floats because it is less dense than liquid water. Ice is about 9% less dense. When ice forms, it takes up about 9% more space than it did as a liquid. Thus, a 1 liter container of ice weighs less than a 1 liter container of liquid water, and the lighter material floats to the top. As we said, water is different.

Answer 5

When water freeze in to ice the volume of the ice increase a bit. Thus the density of ice is less than water. (Since the mass of the water amount that is transformed in to ice remains unchanged the density decreases).
Any floating object displaces a volume of medium( in which it is floating) that is equal to the volume of the floating object.

If the weight of the water volume displaced is less that the weight of ice (cube) then it floats on water.
This is Archimedes theorem

Answer 6

You got the best answer. Yes. When water freezes, it has a less dense structure, and it increases it's volume by one eleventh (1/11). This means that 11 cc's of water will form 12cc's of ice.

Answer 7

1 gm of water has a volume of 1 cc.

1 gm of ice has a volume of 1.09 cc.

Ice has a less dense molecular matrix as stated by you.

To float in water, 1 gm of ice must be balanced by a force of 1gm- force; this is given by a displaced volume of 1 cc of water or 1 gm of water.

Since the volume of ice is 1.09 cc, 0.09 cc of ice is above the water surface and 1cc of its volume is immersed in water and it displaces 1 cc of water.

Answer 8

Ice is less dense because of its molecular structure.

Answer 9

i think its less dense than water

Answer 10

If it was because of the displacement .. why would it go up precisely ?!