AP BIOLOGY

BIOCHEMISTRY

PROPERTIES OF WATER

Question [CLICK ON ANY CHOICE TO KNOW THE RIGHT ANSWER]
Ice floats on water because ____
A
liquid water is less dense than ice.
B
Water’s surface tension is strong enough to support the ice.
C
there is oxygen dissolved in liquid water.
D
the molecules in ice are farther apart than the molecules in liquid water, making the ice less dense.
Explanation: 

Detailed explanation-1: -Ice is less dense than water because the orientation of hydrogen bonds causes molecules to push farther apart, which lowers the density.

Detailed explanation-2: -What’s so special about ice that causes it to float? Believe it or not, ice is actually about 9% less dense than water. Since the water is heavier, it displaces the lighter ice, causing the ice to float to the top.

Detailed explanation-3: -The extra hydrogen bonds that occur when water freezes increase the space between molecules, causing a decrease in overall density. In fact, each water ice molecule forms hydrogen bonds with four other molecules, while water molecules only form hydrogen bonds with an average of 3.4 other molecules.

Detailed explanation-4: -The ice float on water because its density is less than water.

Detailed explanation-5: -Density of ice and water Water’s lower density in its solid form is due to the way hydrogen bonds are oriented as it freezes. Specifically, in ice, the water molecules are pushed farther apart than they are in liquid water. That means water expands when it freezes.

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