It was -10F today, I left a half a bottle of water in my car. I thought it would freeze and be OK because it was half gone. After work, I picked up the bottle from the cup holder and looked at it and it was liquid, I thought how strange-it's been very cold. And all of a sudden it formed ice crystals and was frozen. Explain please!
2007-02-05 17:01:03 · 7 answers · asked by L Squared 1 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Physics
it wasn't frozen because of the greenhouse effect in your car (the sun came in through the windows and kept you vehicles interior above 32 degrees. then you entered your vehicle and left the door open and the cold air poured in, freezing the water.
2007-02-05 17:06:39 · answer #1 · answered by fade_this_rally 7 · 1⤊ 1⤋
Have you ever heard of putting pure water into a clean glass and microwaving it, to where you thought it would boil but it didn't, but when you went to take it out, it exploded... The water got superheated but because of lack of impurities around it didn't start boiling process.
Freezing water can happen this way as well, the water is pure and below freezing but the crystallization process doesn't happen until surface tension is disturbed
In both cases the proper amounts of Heat/cold and purity must work together
2007-02-06 02:25:50 · answer #2 · answered by girish sahare 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Temperature inside car was more than 0 degree Centigrade.
Trapped heat dissipate slowly and after half an hour it was not bellow the freezing point. As soon as you opened the car door and picked the bottle it came to the environment temperature which was very very less than freezing point of water and water free zed.
2007-02-06 06:49:26 · answer #3 · answered by Dilip Dey 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Have you ever heard of putting pure water into a clean glass and microwaving it, to where you thought it would boil but it didn't, but when you went to take it out, it exploded... The water got superheated but because of lack of impurities around it didn't start boiling process.
Freezing water can happen this way as well, the water is pure and below freezing but the crystallization process doesn't happen until surface tension is disturbed
In both cases the proper amounts of Heat/cold and purity must work together
2007-02-06 01:15:00 · answer #4 · answered by bob shark 7 · 0⤊ 1⤋
It is the result of supercooling. When you shake it (by lifting the bottle from the cup holder), it freezes. Superheating and supercooling take place when the water is relatively purer and has no nuclei for the crystals / bubbles to form.
2007-02-06 01:29:57 · answer #5 · answered by Swamy 7 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Perhaps the cup holder insulated it sufficiently that it didn't freeze; then, when you picked it up, the insulation was gone, the air around it was very cold, and it froze very quickly.
2007-02-06 01:10:15 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
The temperature inside the car had been much higher and hence it did not freeze.
VR
2007-02-06 01:05:20 · answer #7 · answered by sarayu 7 · 0⤊ 1⤋