why ice floats on water?
Ice floats because it is less dense than the liquid.
When 92% of the ice cube is below the water surface, there is enough buoyancy force to support the weight, so it floats.
Ice floats on water because it is less dense than liquid water. When substances solidify, the molecules slow down and become more organized, resulting in a more fixed and structured arrangement. In the case of water, as it cools and reaches its freezing point, the water molecules form a crystalline lattice structure. This structure causes the molecules to spread out and be held farther apart compared to the liquid state.
The reason ice floats on water can be demonstrated through the concept of density. Density is defined as the mass of a substance divided by its volume. Since ice has a lower density than liquid water, it is lighter for the same volume.
To calculate density, you need to know the mass and volume of the substance. The mass of an object can be measured using a scale, while the volume can be determined through measurements or by using the formula specific to the shape of the object (e.g., length x width x height for a rectangular solid).
By comparing the density of ice to that of liquid water, you can observe that the density of ice is around 0.92 g/cm³, while the density of water is approximately 1 g/cm³. This slight difference in density allows ice to be less dense than water, causing it to float on the surface.
In summary, ice floats on water because it is less dense than liquid water due to its organized lattice structure.