GENERAL KNOWLEDGE

Detailed explanation-1: -As liquid water freezes and hydrogen bonds form between water molecules, those hydrogen bonds form a geometrical pattern called a lattice. The fixed geometry of the lattice prevents water molecules from packing close together and, therefore, from becoming denser as it freezes. Instead, water expands upon freezing.

Detailed explanation-2: -Water expands when it becomes ice, and since the volume is inversely proportional to the density of a substance, ice is less dense than water. For this reason, ice, a substance that appears heavier than its liquid form, floats on water. If water didn’t expand when it froze, then ice would be denser than water.

Detailed explanation-3: -This phenomenon, also known as the anomalous expansion of water is the reason why water bottles crack on freezing of the water inside. Another effect of this is the floating of ice cubes in water. It is because ice is of lesser density than water due to the reason mentioned above.

Detailed explanation-4: -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.