Have you ever thought, Why ice cubes can float on water? Everytime we make a cool drink by adding ice cubes to our drinks surely all can see, that the ice cubes that we pour will float. Why not drown, but instead float?
The reason why ice is lighter than water is a certain ice mass that occurs more empty than when the same mass as water. This is related to the "hydrogen bond".
Hydrogen Bond
The water molecule consists of two hydrogen atoms (H) and one oxygen atom (O). The hydrogen and oxygen atoms are bound by dividing their electrons from one another. This bond is called "covalent bond"
Actually in principle any solid object that has a mass will sink when it is inserted into the water. But in reality not all objects have such properties, eg ice cubes. Although it is a solid object that has a mass but when incorporated into the water then the ice will not drown.
However, since the oxygen atom attracts the stronger electron than the hydrogen atom, the oxygen atom in the water molecule is slightly more negative and the hydrogen atom is slightly more positive. Thus adjacent water molecules are attracted to one another through slightly more negative oxygen atoms and slightly more positive hydrogen atoms. This interaction is called "hydrogen bonding". The hydrogen bond is weaker than the covalent bond, however, this type of bond has a great effect because there are many hydrogen bonds.
Ice And Water Structures
Ice has an instant structure due to hydrogen bonding. Water does not have such a regular structure, water molecules approaching one another due to hydrogen bonding.
This happens because ice cubes have a much smaller density than water. When water turns to ice, water molecules will adapt themselves to create a space between molecules that have not existed before.
If we see an ice cube, there is more room in the ice than in water. This means that the volume of ice becomes larger dibanddingkan with water volume. This makes the mass of ice cubes smaller than the density of water.
It's the same with marine ships that can float in the ocean. If we hit ice cubes in a container of water, then there will be upward pressure or resistance. If the pressure is greater than the weight of ice, then the ice will sink in the water. But if there is no compression force that occurs on the ice, then the ice will always float on the water.
Thus a brief explanation of why ice cubes float on water. Share if this article is useful. Upvote if this article is eligible to be honored. Give feedback and criticism when my writing is needed.
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