On Mon, 1 Dec 1997, Larry A Hoy wrote:
> Dan Masters writes:
>
> > It's just that in the transition from water to ice, ice occupies more
> space than the water.
>
> and Dan writes:
>
> >I don't know of any material that gets larger as the temperature
> decreases, but there may be
> >something that does - pure unobtainium, perhaps?
>
> So what about water? When water freezes and turns to ice it gets bigger.
> So removing heat from some items does increase it's size. I think water
> is the only thing that does this.
>
> Does anyone know why this happens? Any explanation needs to be related
> to me in the lowest common denominator so I can understand it! I once
> asked my son to ask his science teacher this question. I think my son
> thought the teacher would make him to figure it out on his own ,,,,,, he
> never asked.
Sure, water is most dense at 4 degrees Centigrade. Imagine this on a
scale.
<-colder-------------0 (freezing)---4 (water is most dense)-----warmer->
So you see in cooling water, when water hits 4 degrees C, it takes up the
smallest space...so, if heat energy continues to leave the water, it will
begin increase it's volume (get bigger.) That's why the plastic pail of
water you leave out for Rex the watchdog is busted in five pieces when you
go to check on it some cold December morn: the water contracted as it
cooled and since it was liquid, the water level just went down...but then
it reached 4 degrees C and froze. As a solid, it continued to expand, but
as a solid, it expanded in all three dimensions at once and eventually
busted the pail.
neil doane
>
> Larry Hoy (MGB.Roadster@juno.com)
> Denver, CO USA
> 1969 MGB Roadster
> 1987 Jaguar XJ6 Vanden Plas
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