why ice is less dense than water?

Answer 1

Because water expands when it freezes..
Therefore ice is of larger volume than the water it originated from
therefore it is less dense..

Answer 2

The crystalline structure of frozen water is not as efficient from a space-management perspective as the liquid state.

You can see this yourself.

Immerse a plastic cup in a tank of water, snap the lid on and put the lidded-cup in the freezer. When the water freezes, it will expand, pushing the lid off the cup. The mass has not changed significantly, but the volume-requirements are greater, hence the density is decreased.

Why do I say "significantly," you may wonder. If you leave the ice in the freezer with the lid off, it will gradually lose mass. This is due to the thermodynamics of a frost-free freezer, which causes evaporation of water to eliminate frost.

Answer 3

Ice is less dense it all depends on the particle itself. When it is in ice state, then it means the the particle is packed closely to each other. But in liquid state, the particle is far aparts from each other, which gives it's more dense.

Answer 4

Yes!! one of the reasons is that water is made up of molecues that are free to roam(more energy thus the free movement of molecues as in liquids). This causes the water molecues to fill up air spaces that are in the liquid but in ice the molecues are in fixed points thus the inability to fill up spaces created in the liquid while turning into a solid thus the dencity decreases but the voulme increases and the mass remains the same!

Answer 5

this is due to the Phenomenon of ANOMULOUS EXPANSION OF WATER.

Usually, when things are cooled, their molecules come together.. resulting in compression and increase in density. However, water shows a different nature.

On cooling water, till 4 degrees, it shows normal property of increase in Density.

However, on cooling further, the molecules move apart... and the desity decreases!!!
The physical reason for this is related to the crystal structure of ordinary ice, known as hexagonal ice Ih

Water, gallium, bismuth, acetic acid, antimony and silicon are some of the few materials which expand when they freeze

Answer 6

Because in within the freezed water molecule, there is an air gap. That actually it traps the air. And for sure, the density changed accordingly.

Answer 7

Because ICE has air bubbles inside and water doest.

Answer 8

ice cream...