IF you add ice at zero degrees celcius to a container of water maintained at 0degrees, the ice wil float on the water with that water finding a certain level in the container. As the ice melts, forming liquid at zero degrees, would you expect the water level of the container to go up, down, or remain the same? explain the reasoning by which you arrived at your conclusion.
i think it WOuld it go up?? I'm not sure though.
can someone explain. thanks.
Look at the density of ice versus H2O at zero C. As I recall, the density of ice is less which means volume of ice is larger (for the same mass), so as the ice melts the volume gets .....
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Properties_of_water
To understand what will happen to the water level in the container, we need to consider the principle of buoyancy and the density of water and ice.
Water has a maximum density at around 4 degrees Celsius. As the temperature of water decreases from 4 degrees Celsius to 0 degrees Celsius, it actually expands slightly, becoming less dense. This is why ice, which forms at 0 degrees Celsius, is less dense than liquid water.
When you add ice to the container of water maintained at 0 degrees Celsius, the ice will float on the water because it is less dense. The level of the water in the container will rise slightly to accommodate the volume of the submerged portion of the ice.
As the ice melts and turns into liquid water still at 0 degrees Celsius, it will mix with the existing water in the container. However, since water at 0 degrees Celsius is already at its maximum density, its volume will not change significantly when it melts. Therefore, the water level in the container will remain roughly the same.
So, in conclusion, when ice melts in a container of water maintained at 0 degrees Celsius, the water level will remain relatively unchanged.