Explain, in terms of the structure of water and ice, why ice floats on liquid water.?

Answer 1

Ice expands as it freezes because it forms a crystal lattice, so it is less dense than liquid water. Thats why it floats

Answer 2

When water becomes ice, the hydrogen bonds are more stable than the hydrogen bonds of moving molecules of liquid water. These stable bonds form what is called a crystal lattice. Think of the crystal lattice as the plastic connections between Lego pieces (the Lego pieces would be the water molecules.) Now because of this latticework, ice becomes less dense than the surrounding water(...anything that has a density less than water's density, that substance will float in water) and this is what causes massive icebergs to float. Think of this...if water didn't have this property, lakes and ponds would freeze from the bottom up instead of vise versa and you would have a solid block of ice in the pond or lake!!!!!!!.

Answer 3

Ice is not as dense as liquid water, due to the geometry of the strong hydrogen bonds which are formed only at lower temperatures. For almost all other substances and for all other 11 uncommon phases, the solid form is denser than the liquid form. Fresh water at standard atmospheric pressure is most dense at 3.98 °C, and will sink by convection as it cools to that temperature, and if it becomes colder it will rise instead. This reversal will cause deep water to remain warmer than shallower freezing water, so that ice in a body of water will form first at the surface and progress downward, while the majority of the water underneath will hold a constant 4 °C. This effectively insulates a lake floor from the cold. Almost all other chemicals are denser as solids than they are as liquids, and freeze from the bottom up.

Answer 4

when water freezes to ice, hexagonal gaps form in the structure of ice. When in liquid form, these gaps are filled in so the liquid is denser than ice. Since ice is less dense it floats on water. It is very good that ice floats, otherwise bodies of water could completely freeze as the top water freezes then sinks, then new water freezes and sinks and so on.

Answer 5

A consistence of ice less than liquid water, the Archimedean power keeps ice on a surface of water.

Answer 6

Water is more dense than ice. In water, the molecules are packed closer together (until about 4 deg Celsius where it is at its most dense point). Most things continue to pack closer and closer the colder they get. But when water freezes, the molecules spread out making it less dense.

Answer 7

The maximum density of H2O occurs above the freexing point. When it freezes, it expands (as anyone who has ever had a pipe burst can attest) and its density drops further. Thus, ice is less dense than water and floats.

Answer 8

Yeah, what they said.