Why Does Ice Float ?
Things float and sink in water depending on their density. Density which is found by dividing the substance mass by its volume can be used as an indicator to predict which items will float. Take for example the common vegetable oil which has a density of 0.894 g/ml floats in water which has a density of 1 g/ml. The vegetable oil floats because its density is less than that of water. So does ice float because it density is less then that of water? Yes. But is not ice just water and therefore shouldn't it have the same density as water? Not exactly. Water behaves differently as you freeze it. Water reaches its maximum density at 4°C (40°F). If water is cooled any further it will turn into ice and ice is less dense. This is because as water freezes it likes to expand, another reason what you shouldn't freeze water in a glass container, and therefore this volume increase decreases the density of ice. Remember the equation Density = Mass/Volume, so ice has a larger volume than water hence its overall density is less than that of water.
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