Why does ice float on water?

Question

explain briefly, please.

Answer 1

The reason why ice is lighter than water is that a certain mass of ice occupies more space than the same mass of water. This is related to “hydrogen bonding”.


Hydrogen bonding

A water molecule is composed of two hydrogen atoms (H) and one oxygen atom (O). The atoms of hydrogen and oxygen are bound by sharing their electrons with one another. This bond is called a “covalent bond”.


However, since oxygen atoms pull electrons more strongly than hydrogen atoms, the oxygen atom in a water molecule has a slightly negative charge and the hydrogen atoms have a slightly positive charge. So adjacent water molecules are attracted to one another through the slightly negatively charged oxygen atoms and the slightly positively charged hydrogen atoms. This interaction is called “hydrogen bonding”. Hydrogen bonding is much weaker than covalent bonding, however, this type of bonding has a large total effect because there are so many hydrogen bonds.

Structure of ice and water
Ice has a diamond structure due to the hydrogen bonding. Water does not have such an orderly structure, but water molecules are squeezed close to one another because of the hydrogen bonding.

Answer 2

A block of common ice will float because solid water is less dense than liquid water. This is an extremely important characteristic property of water. At room temperature, liquid water becomes denser with lowering temperature, just like other substances. But at 4°C, just above freezing, water reaches its maximum density, and as water cools further toward its freezing point, the liquid water, under standard conditions, expands to become less dense.

Answer 3

All components substitute density whilst they bypass from the liquid to the solid state. for many components, freezing ends up in a upward push in density, so as that the solid sinks interior the liquid. it rather is via fact freezing includes crystallization, and in maximum components the orderly association of the molecules in a crystalline good skill superb, tight packing and for this reason a upward push in density over the extra chaotic liquid. however the water molecule has a queer shape that makes it impossible to p.c.. effectively in a crystal shape. Ice is a marginally loose (nevertheless orderly) packing and the density is below that of liquid water. for this reason ice floats on water. it rather is a good ingredient it does. in any different case, lakes might freeze good in wintry climate and fish might have an rather "stressful" time. There are some different such "icelike" components. the wonderful time-honored are the metals bismuth and antimony. they are utilized in precision casting, via fact the upward push on freezing forces the fabric into the tiniest nooks and crannies and corners of the mildew.

Answer 4

I know a lot of people answered ur Q but here's my version short and simple: Hydrogen bonding spaces the molecules farther apart creating a less dense structure and that's why ice floats

Answer 5

Water has the unique property of a lesser density in the solid state than in the liquid state. It has nothing to do with oxygen being trapped inside the ice, because the chemical makeup is still the same no matter what physical state it is in.

Answer 6

Because frozen water (ice) is less dense than liquid water.

Answer 7

because ice has a lower density than water it floats. But if ice had a higher density than water it would sink.

Answer 8

Frozen water is less dense than liquid water.

Answer 9

ice is less dense then water,t hats why it floats on water

Answer 10

as water freezes, it creates crystal structures that are lighter than the dense water molecules.