Why does ice float in your drink while most other solids sink?
In short: Most substances become denser when they freeze, but water behaves differently. George Zaidan and Charles Morton explain the molecular science behind why ice floats, a property that keeps everything from your cold beverage to the polar ice caps afloat.
Water is a unique substance because its solid form is less dense than its liquid form. This anomaly occurs due to the specific way hydrogen bonds interact within the molecular structure of ice.
Understanding this mechanism explains why ice remains at the surface of a glass rather than sinking to the bottom, a fundamental physical trait that also dictates the behavior of the Earth's polar ice caps.
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Sources
- Summary by Intellect · source: Why does ice float in water? - George Zaidan and Charles Morton
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