Why does ice float on water? At what temperature does water convert into ice?
Why Does Ice Float on Water? At What Temperature Does Water Turn Into Ice?
Water converts to ice at 0°c. Ice has a different structure than liquid water. It has hydrogen bonding between its molecules. Therefore, ice is 9% less dense than water, and it floats on water.
– Written By Soniya Sanyal
Ice floats on water. This happens because ice has lesser density than water. Scientists have proven that water has a density of 1.0gm/cubic cm while, on the other hand, ice has a density of 0.931gm/cubic cm.
The process where water converts into ice gives the hydrogen bonding a scope to expand and get placed further apart. As a result, it takes more space, decreasing the overall density and, hence, making to float in the water.
Generally, pure water gets converted into its solid state at 0 degrees Celsius, this is also known as its freezing point. In other words, the constant temperature at which water changes into ice is called solidification or the freezing point.
To convert water to ice, it releases about 80 calories (or 4200 J/Kg) of heat energy, and this is known as the specific latent heat of fusion of Ice. It is the amount of heat required to change ice at 0 degrees into water at 0 degrees centigrade without a change in its temperature. Here, the amount of heat absorbed by ice is used in increasing the potential energy of its molecules.
I hope this answer helps!
– Written By Aparajita Karmakar
