Monday, October 03, 2005
Why are ice cubes small?
Question:
Water is one of the few substances that when it freezes it becomes larger. If that's true, why is it that when you get your ice cubes from the tray is often smaller than when you filled it?
Hint:
Basically, if you opened up the freezer only a few hours after putting them in you should see that the cubes are bigger than when you filled them. But over time, they start to shrink because of sublimation (from ice directly to vapor).
Water is one of the few substances that when it freezes it becomes larger. If that's true, why is it that when you get your ice cubes from the tray is often smaller than when you filled it?
Hint:
- The freezer is often quite dry.
- You ice cubes have usually been there for a while.
- Just because it's cold doesn't meant that things won't evaporate.
Basically, if you opened up the freezer only a few hours after putting them in you should see that the cubes are bigger than when you filled them. But over time, they start to shrink because of sublimation (from ice directly to vapor).
