Water Expands When It Freezes

Water Expands When It Freezes

You will need: Water, empty screw-cap medicine or ketchup bottle, plastic water tumbler.

When water freezes it occupies a larger volume (space) than in its fluid state. This is easily proved by simple experiment, carried out on a cold winter's night, or in your home freezer.

Take an empty bottle with a screw cap. Fill the bottle to the very top with water and then screw the cap tightly. If the temperature is below freezing, place the filled bottle when the water outdoors in an exposed position before you go to bed. If freezes, the icenot, place it in a loose cardboard box in your freezer, but be sure it is standing up.

When the water in the bottle turns into ice, what will happen? Becauseice requires more space than water, and because the screw cap will not allow this increase in space, the sides of the bottle will crack open. (Be very careful with the broken glass!)

For another proof, take a plastic tumbler instead of an empty bottle and fill the tumbler to the brim with water.

Now place the filled tumbler in the freezing compartment of your kitchen refrigerator and allow sufficient time for the water to freeze solid. You will find that the level of the ice is much higher than the brim.