Ice floats since it goes to the very opposite of thermodynamics. The belief of solids sinking to the bottom is the norm but ice doesn’t do that even though it appears to be a solid. Instead ice floats on top of the water instead of following the normal routine of solids when they are placed in water. But ice is not a solid and the secret that ice contains is due to a very unique construction that allows it to settle on the surface of liquid and float.
Formation of ice
The unique formation of ice is very straightforward in layman’s terms. Water consists of H2O which means water is made up of two hydrogen atoms and a single atom that is oxygen. These respond in a negative and positive way. Two of the hydrogen atoms magnetize to the solitary oxygen atom but at the same instance they also thrust away. The effect of this action when they bond is for a single water molecule to receive a triangular outline or bend the shape of the molecule. If the temperatures plunge to the freezing point hydrogen bonds get slower than usual and bond for longer periods of time. This causes the bonds to fasten into a crystalline pattern and create ice which is approximately ten percent lighter than water.
Ice and air pockets
Something happens when water freezes as it forces the molecules to cluster in very closely which cuts down on the space left between them. But not enough to stop ice from floating due to the triangular shape of those molecules which leaves a lot of air pockets in between. This produces ice but it is made up of a lot of air. Ice then becomes not the solid we think it is by looking at it but a combination of many air pockets inside. The triangular shape of the molecules prevents ice from packing together to form a true solid object. When ice is made, in reality it increases in volume and decreases in density which as an end result makes ice lighter than water and causes it to float.
So the next time you see a berg floating by or you drop ice cubes in your glass you will know that the ice you are looking at is not truly a solid but is made up of air pockets as well as water. Ice freezes from the top to the bottom but if this were reversed it could mean that it would be solid ice which could cause problems for our environment. Nature has ways of taking care of us without even being aware of it.
