Why does ice float?

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  • Опубліковано 31 бер 2014
  • Why does ice float? You might not think about it, but this special property of frozen water is what makes your iced tea tinkle and makes a lot of aquatic life possible. Hank gets in touch with his inner Olaf to explain the wonder that is ice.
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КОМЕНТАРІ • 837

  • @BurpAtTheMoon
    @BurpAtTheMoon 10 років тому +114

    Ice is so METAL! It's swimming in it's own blood!!!!

    • @159tony
      @159tony 10 років тому +34

      Fucking *BRUTAL*

    • @rhollor_ignis
      @rhollor_ignis 10 років тому +11

      Even more Metal then you think cause it sank the titanic .

    • @maximusdizon7267
      @maximusdizon7267 7 років тому +1

      BurpAtTheMoonAtNoon actually ice is non-metal

  • @danr.5017
    @danr.5017 10 років тому +14

    I like how Hank keeps such a straight face. This is a Fantastic April fool joke, I mean seriously we all know Ice floats because of arcane Elf magic, left over from the pan-galactic penguin war, of 75 million B.C.E.

  • @Rhimione7
    @Rhimione7 10 років тому +3

    Thank you so much for this, Hank. We did this in class but this helped me gain a better understanding.

  • @motorbene6316
    @motorbene6316 10 років тому +1

    Thank you Hank!!! Ive been wondering about this for ages and now my questions have been answered :)

  • @via1408
    @via1408 2 роки тому +1

    I woke up wondering about this this morning and immediately thought, SciShow HAS to have answered this before. Did not disappoint! I assume this is also why ice takes up more space than water?

  • @like_miaow
    @like_miaow 10 років тому

    Thanks for making this video! I really love that "ooooh, that's why" moment!

  • @EthaSound
    @EthaSound 10 років тому

    I can't believe I'd never thought about why ice floats before. Fantastic information, thanks. This also explains why when water freezes it has a slightly larger volume.

  • @sdev00
    @sdev00 10 років тому +1

    Coincidentally, this is exactly what I've been learning about in science class for the past week or so. I learn as much in a 3 minute video as I did in a week in science class.

  • @crazypl0x
    @crazypl0x 10 років тому

    I already knew the answer to the question. But I still learned a few things! Thanks hank!

  • @augustovera85
    @augustovera85 10 років тому

    Wow amigo!! Veo tus videos hace años!! Muchas gracias!!

  • @DrSentenial
    @DrSentenial 10 років тому +38

    With the recent large earthquake down in Chile, perhaps you guys could explain the Moment Magnitude Scale and the history of scales we used to use like the Richter scale in measuring seismic activity. You know, just an added bit of awareness.
    It's odd, living in California I still know a number of people who say that something registered "x" on the Richter scale and I keep having to correct them.

    • @JavierSalcedoC
      @JavierSalcedoC 10 років тому +2

      Nice topic, there is a lot of math and cool stuff there to know. Here in Chile we use Mercalli for quick reference but Richter is the norm. Richter is an exponential scale in terms of liberated energy, so a richter 8 is ten times more energy liberated than a richter 7. If you are close to the epicenter, then you REALLY feel the difference, but the energy gets rapidly disipated with the distance. Also how deep the plates/fall are (where the earthquake really took place), helps to disipates the energy very quicky. So a richter 8 at 100 km under the surface is a lot less destructive than one at 10 km from it
      And then there are tsunamis

    • @PokeFreak179
      @PokeFreak179 10 років тому

      ***** We don't use Richter Scale anymore, we now use Moment Magnitude Scale, abbrv MMS or Mw. It is the scale use by USGS(U.S. Geological Survey). It is still quite a common mistake to associate Richter Scale with magnitudes, because the latter retains the former magnitude values.

    • @sniffy6999999
      @sniffy6999999 10 років тому

      Matt Thompson Even I, who was brought up on "how good America is" have come to realise that kind of attitude don't win the world over.

  • @AdemirICedillos
    @AdemirICedillos 10 років тому

    You should have an episode of water alone. All of its amazing properties, I am sure some people do not know a few of them. Water is simple too amazing!

  • @williamhalstead3841
    @williamhalstead3841 10 років тому

    Thank you! I've been wondering this for nearly all my short life!

  • @housejunkie124
    @housejunkie124 10 років тому

    Best explanation ever !

  • @krackerkid5
    @krackerkid5 10 років тому +2

    hmmm.... this actually answers another question of why water expands when frozen..... interesting.....

  • @fastlane1776
    @fastlane1776 10 років тому

    I can not wait to use " icy bevy" in a convo haha .. Love Sci Show :)

  • @martijnvds6488
    @martijnvds6488 10 років тому

    The first SciShow video that I have learned nothing, But still well explained Hank ;)

  • @Poop_Deck_Pappy
    @Poop_Deck_Pappy 10 років тому

    Thank you Hank!

  • @cupcakelover700
    @cupcakelover700 9 років тому

    this video was amazing, I learned so much! This is such a fascinating topic. :)

  • @sentineloffreedom
    @sentineloffreedom 10 років тому +1

    I'm really glad that scishow did this topic! Such an amazing thing!!! If it wasn't for this simple fact, life on earth, as we know it, would not exist :) just goes to show you how everything conveniently works to support life :) it's a big "wow" thing for me... but I'm a nerd haha

  • @nonchalantd
    @nonchalantd 10 років тому

    loved this

  • @angelic8632002
    @angelic8632002 10 років тому +1

    Interesting, i didn't know this!
    Thank you!

  • @HelenRosemarySmith
    @HelenRosemarySmith 10 років тому

    Thanks for this concise explanation of a question I've been finding out the answer to and then forgetting again for quite a while! :P I was first asked by a friend who looked at a puddle and said 'how does the water get under the ice?' which really should have been 'why is the ice floating?' - I worked it out eventually!

  • @jaredongsing
    @jaredongsing 10 років тому

    Thank you! i asked this question a while ago and now i know the answer :D

  • @TerryDilov
    @TerryDilov 9 років тому +1

    The CC are just hilarious!

  • @PinkChucky15
    @PinkChucky15 10 років тому

    Awesome, thanks for the answer Hank :-)

  • @maddhatter6551
    @maddhatter6551 10 років тому

    Great video. I already knew why ice floats but it was still a good video. Can you talk about what happens to ice under lots of pressure and under really cold temperatures like on another plant or moon?

  • @SuperSMT
    @SuperSMT 10 років тому +30

    Wait... Where's the April Fool's video? You've got to make one!

  • @sighcantthinkofaname
    @sighcantthinkofaname 10 років тому

    OOOOOOOOOH!
    Thank you so much for making this!
    It came up in ninth grade that Ice was less dense than water, but no one seemed to know or care why and how.
    It's bothered me ever since.
    I mean I could've googled it, but it was more of a "Think about it when I can't look it up" kind of thought.
    So thank you!

  • @coda3223
    @coda3223 10 років тому +1

    Water is so awesome.
    As a follow up question... why do we freeze dry foods instead of just freezing or drying them?
    Or maybe a quick episode or link about Spring/Fall Lake turnover and why the bottom of a lake is going to be ~4C?

  • @incongruentinterrobangs924
    @incongruentinterrobangs924 10 років тому

    Thanks for making this hank , I showed this to my friend to help her do her homework XD

  • @MsMimi127
    @MsMimi127 10 років тому

    God this is such a useful channel!!!! XD LOVE IT

  • @bhaalad
    @bhaalad 10 років тому

    wow. learn a lot from this

  • @ptrkmr
    @ptrkmr 8 років тому +1

    Well, this video also answered the question of why is water the only liquid to expand when freezing

  • @ThatJaymsWisdom
    @ThatJaymsWisdom 10 років тому

    I don't say this very often but this video just opened a floodgate in my mind. The idea that the fact water freezes and floats allows for life to exist really proved how much of a miracle it truly is.

    • @GringatTheRepugnant
      @GringatTheRepugnant 10 років тому +1

      Is it though? If it 'did' freeze from the bottom up, we wouldn't exist to ponder the fact that it froze from the bottom up.

  • @luuvnich
    @luuvnich 10 років тому

    I love Hank.

  • @zacharyngkaion6124
    @zacharyngkaion6124 10 років тому

    I just learned this in science today... Extra lessons for the win

  • @playerone1203
    @playerone1203 9 років тому

    thank you! this helped me so much with my homework

  • @XxSpiffxX
    @XxSpiffxX 10 років тому

    I love that I'm taking college chemistry atm, I was familiar with almost everything you said. :D

  • @JackDander
    @JackDander 10 років тому

    Asking the heavy questions on SciShow

  • @UnderAcheiver1
    @UnderAcheiver1 10 років тому

    Thank you for not doing an April fools thing. It means a lot to me.

  • @StickyJalapeno
    @StickyJalapeno 10 років тому

    when did scishow reach 1 million subscribers? I've been subscribed since 200k and i just found out they has 1 million.

  • @lynsmith5113
    @lynsmith5113 10 років тому

    When your cast pure metal (with no slag) into a mould the last part to freeze is the inner centre, whereas if the solid metal was denser then the last part to freeze would be the top as the heavier solid would sink to the bottom. Most liquids other than water, mercury don't exist as such in nature, hence we don't see them freeze. I suspect that when alcohol, or any other liquid is is frozen, the top would freezes over just like water and not sink to the bottom as the clip suggests it should.

  • @MichaelMMorganm984638
    @MichaelMMorganm984638 10 років тому +4

    Question: Which are your favorite colloids?

  • @youmaycallmeken
    @youmaycallmeken 10 років тому

    It would be helpful to have illustrations of other molecules to compare with H
    2O, and illustrated how the molecules in each of several elements lineup when in a solid form.

  • @gabriellasharma5101
    @gabriellasharma5101 10 років тому

    Omg! I always wanted to know this

  • @skyentertainment1816
    @skyentertainment1816 10 років тому +2

    Let's go basic, why is the sky blue? and why is grass green? I know the answers but it would be a great video topic!

    • @tutrmw
      @tutrmw 10 років тому

      AllanFrankland Oh dear.

  • @thejake9248
    @thejake9248 10 років тому

    Hello Hank and everyone at SciShow. I would like to know why the earth tilts? Why doesn't it just stay level? Thank you. And keep on, keepin on.

  • @jonhwalsh4900
    @jonhwalsh4900 10 років тому

    COOL !

  • @Salaminizer1974
    @Salaminizer1974 10 років тому +6

    Great answer, could have spent a few more seconds on ice crystals maybe though?

  • @WonkyStickman
    @WonkyStickman 10 років тому

    Ice is so badass. It just floats around in its own blood.

  • @JerryFrenchJr
    @JerryFrenchJr 10 років тому +1

    Now I know why my heart floats when I throw it in my toilet

  • @Kelgorn
    @Kelgorn 10 років тому

    I forgot that Scishow Space was a separate show and was wondering why there was a second Scishow episode until I was halfway done.

  • @hannaverlie6747
    @hannaverlie6747 10 років тому

    Why do we suddenly forget something we know really well, momentarily? Like a name or an answer in an oral exam

  • @bernzeppi
    @bernzeppi 10 років тому

    The polarity of H2O is also why water vapour and CO2 is a greenhouse gas.
    It would be most excellent if you could do a video on GHGs and why their polarity makes them so.

  • @jameseglavin4
    @jameseglavin4 10 років тому

    would love to see a scishow episode on the action of buprenorphine, and how it's different from methadone, morphine, or naloxone. what with P.S.H.'s tragic recent death and the occasional history of scishow's coverage of drugs and drug issues i think it would be a timely and interesting show. thanks!

  • @sergheicosmin4038
    @sergheicosmin4038 4 роки тому

    how does this help us in life

  • @sidewaysfcs0718
    @sidewaysfcs0718 10 років тому +2

    an interesting video would be "why do denser materials sink? "

  • @robertholloway465
    @robertholloway465 10 років тому

    another good question I like to know is why do ice forms pillers, moving upwards as it freezes...

  • @radumurzea6112
    @radumurzea6112 10 років тому

    It's rare that I already know what Hank is talking about... :)

  • @ilangated
    @ilangated 10 років тому +5

    Glad this wasn't an April Fools video

  • @ericthai3788
    @ericthai3788 10 років тому

    Its also like when u fill a bottle to the top with water and when frozen the bottle expands and cracks to the point where the bottle breaks cause when freezing ice tends to expand

  • @CoxTH
    @CoxTH 10 років тому +8

    So... is it possible that water has another molecular configuration in which it is solid but doesn't have the "holes" so it is actually denser than liquid water?

    • @Todesnuss
      @Todesnuss 10 років тому

      Definitely not under any kind of realistic circumstance. I believe somewhere around -130°C Ice gets amorphous but i don't know what happens with it's density then, it's also just something that I've heard somewhere so don't quote me on it.

    • @EdwardDowner
      @EdwardDowner 10 років тому +1

      Todesnuss Yup, (Very) High Density Amorphous ices can be formed at pressures higher than you would see on Earth and have densities greater than water when returned to "normal" conditions.

  • @aducksecho
    @aducksecho 10 років тому

    Cool now I can get this one right on quizup

  • @MauroTamm
    @MauroTamm 10 років тому +8

    Why do things squeak?
    Even tho i know/can find any explanation.... its still an interesting topic.

    • @breadpilled2587
      @breadpilled2587 10 років тому +5

      I'm guessing friction. Old things like doors or wood floors may squeak because the nails have come loose or the board may have warped or something? I don't know, but that's what I always assumed.

    • @ze_rubenator
      @ze_rubenator 10 років тому +1

      My eyes squeak when I rub them. I've always wondered if that is normal.

  • @ploxagote
    @ploxagote 10 років тому

    Why do we shiver

  • @IanH4510
    @IanH4510 10 років тому +1

    Video on polarising light or other waves please

  • @TheSuperGSS
    @TheSuperGSS 10 років тому +1

  • @ellis0896
    @ellis0896 10 років тому +7

    I always wonder what keeps the clouds from either floating away or falling to the ground. The thickness in atmosphere for the floating away right? Then what, the clouds being more dense than air as to why they don't just fall to earth?

    • @RyanMathewHarding
      @RyanMathewHarding 10 років тому

      It probably has something to do with density, but I believe it also has to do with the wind keeping it afloat like a plastic bag floats through the air.
      If I remember correctly, clouds are congregations of little specks of whatever in the air that gather condensation from the air around them. As the particles gather more and more condensation, the clouds get darker and heavier and they sink. This is why storm clouds are low to the ground and thin while the white ones are really high up and poofy/wispy. Eventually the specks become water droplets and become too heavy to float, so they fall to the ground.
      (Someone please correct me if I'm wrong.)

    • @ellis0896
      @ellis0896 10 років тому

      Ryan Harding ThexXNAZIxZombiExX Okay. Thanks guys!

  • @sinephase
    @sinephase 10 років тому +8

    Now explain liquid ice :P

  • @toze5698
    @toze5698 10 років тому

    It s actually a question that i ask myself almost everyday

  • @xXTheAtomicXenonXx
    @xXTheAtomicXenonXx 10 років тому +17

    This broke the ice. Parden the pun.

    • @UpsideDownMon
      @UpsideDownMon 10 років тому +14

      i-cy what you did there

    • @LeeOB
      @LeeOB 10 років тому +6

      Wat-er you going to do now?

    • @7UpYours1234
      @7UpYours1234 10 років тому +1

      Whatever floats your boat

    • @LeeOB
      @LeeOB 10 років тому +1

      I don't snow if I like where this is going...

    • @xXTheAtomicXenonXx
      @xXTheAtomicXenonXx 10 років тому

      I sea a wa-ter in the cafe.

  • @chris2shotgun
    @chris2shotgun 10 років тому

    Did he say a "Sci-Show Chocolate Bar" at the end....ummm Hell Yeah!!!

  • @jleemaxis4352
    @jleemaxis4352 10 років тому

    I have an odd question for SciShow.
    Why do we react to things happening to our player or avatar in a video game as if it were happening to us in real life. For example, why do we say "ouch" when our avatar is injured, lean when we're taking a sharp turn in game, or cringe when we're trying to beat a difficult jump or other in-game obstacle.

  • @TheBaldingPied
    @TheBaldingPied 10 років тому +1

    I've always known it was the crystals, but I never knew why the crystals formed.

  • @liam.k
    @liam.k 10 років тому

    Given the recent Earthquake in Chile yesterday, could you explain the Richter Scale?

  • @KNBProds
    @KNBProds 10 років тому

    what i was told as a kid was
    1) ice is up to 10% trapped oxygen
    2) the cold air on top makes it easier for the water to freeze unlike at the bottom
    3) the other areas are constantly moving and/or unable to sustain such temps.

  • @ITR
    @ITR 10 років тому +18

    Pfft, uploaded on first of april! Not gonna trick me!
    ...
    jk

  • @chgase
    @chgase 10 років тому

    I have heard that ice frozen under extreme pressure can assume a more dense structure. I think it was called ice vii or something like that. That would be an interesting topic.

  • @LimeGreenTeknii
    @LimeGreenTeknii 10 років тому

    I've already learned this in physics!
    I also know that it's not *just* density, it is the weight of the water an object displaces. That's why boats made of a heavy material like iron can float; they're shaped specifically to displace as much water as they can (they also have air inside them, but that's not the only reason a boat can float. A hollow iron cube or ball would sink.)

    • @flaviusclaudius7510
      @flaviusclaudius7510 10 років тому +2

      A hollow iron cube would float if its average density was less than water. If it was much less than water, more of it would be on the surface.

    • @seigeengine
      @seigeengine 10 років тому

      Yes/no.
      Yes in that you're right. No in that that doesn't change that it's just density.

    • @isakoqv
      @isakoqv 10 років тому

      As others have already pointed out; the thing is what you're really explaining is not only specifically why water floats, but why things float in general. Things that are less dense will float on things that are more dense, regardless of the medium.

  • @seth094978
    @seth094978 10 років тому

    At 1:59 I totally read that distance as 95.84 petameters at first, which is a smidge over a light year. Obviously they meant picometers, but one needs to be very careful with the capitalization of metric prefixes.

  • @reidwilliams3056
    @reidwilliams3056 10 років тому

    I actually knew all this for once!!!

  • @submetropolis
    @submetropolis 10 років тому

    That explanation is all fine and dandy, now please explain why guinness floats in a Black and Tan!

  • @BlaiseIgirubuntu
    @BlaiseIgirubuntu 10 років тому

    l find it amazing that most of water's awesome properties can be explained byt its hydrogen bonds.

  • @george.pahali
    @george.pahali 10 років тому

    I know salinity lowers the freezing point of water and that's why the water (oceans)
    in the poles don't freeze. But why does only the surface of a pond or lake freeze?

  • @Moonfrog11
    @Moonfrog11 10 років тому +4

    578 views? what's with 301?

  • @euducationator
    @euducationator 10 років тому

    I'm actually kinda dissapionted that this was a legit sci show episode and not an april fools day joke, especially considering that I already knew everything in this video.

  • @Nemoticon
    @Nemoticon 10 років тому

    Even though I understand it, my mind still boggles when I see huge oil tankers and military vessels sitting happily on the ocean surface. I know it is all about the relative volume of displacement and average density, but my mind is also screaming "a thousand tonnes of steel should not float"!

  • @MisterOverlord99
    @MisterOverlord99 10 років тому

    You missed a opportunity to say "thanks to our Subbable subscribers for keeping us afloat" I feel that would have made it much awesomererer

  • @visage535
    @visage535 10 років тому +1

    We were just talking about this at school :D

  • @CalebHughesTheGingerNinja
    @CalebHughesTheGingerNinja 10 років тому +4

    Can we ask questions we already know the answer to, but want others to see a reliable source for?
    I suspect the answer is yes, but idk.

  • @AdmissionGaming
    @AdmissionGaming 10 років тому

    Hank please clear this up, water will never freeze from the bottom, because how earth's atmosphere works it puts pressure onto the water. More pressure you have harder it is to freeze or boil a liquid. Therefore, the water on top has less pressure and always freezes first. If it was to freeze from the bottom up, that suggests that the water on the bottom has less pressure which cannot be possible on earth.

  • @maxatwood3028
    @maxatwood3028 10 років тому

    I have a question! how does AC current work exactly? I'm generally pretty smart, especially with science, but for some reason i just don't get alternating current. More specifically how do you make it alternate?

  • @me3333
    @me3333 10 років тому

    I have a question, you said the molecules have space between them in ice form. What is in the space, is it air from the surroundings or some kind of vacuum? If it was an a single atom wouldn't that change the molecule?

  • @worththekeeping
    @worththekeeping 10 років тому

    I don't think neat and swag are able to be used in the same sentence.

  • @Ratciclefan
    @Ratciclefan 2 роки тому

    Wow

  • @mariesoullier
    @mariesoullier 10 років тому +1

    Why do the floating cheerios in my cereal bowl seem to wanna 'stick' to each other or the to side?

    • @sidewaysfcs0718
      @sidewaysfcs0718 10 років тому

      same answer for why water sticks to almost any surface, EM force.

  • @SomeDudeOnline
    @SomeDudeOnline 10 років тому +2

    Are there any other molecules that behave this way?

  • @voveve
    @voveve 10 років тому +14

    Really someone didn't know this?

    • @themplar
      @themplar 10 років тому +5

      Actually not this detailed. It floats that we all know. But why i think most people dont know that. Or cant remember learning that.
      So thanks for the refresh course scishow.

    • @oO_ox_O
      @oO_ox_O 10 років тому +3

      I forgot about the exact reasons apart from density.

    • @dbaker280
      @dbaker280 10 років тому +2

      What? 5 days ago? UA-cam did a joke?

    • @voveve
      @voveve 10 років тому +1

      Daniel B Mystery of the internetz

  • @kyleecoyle
    @kyleecoyle 10 років тому +1

    In my High School Physics class there were a few compasses that pointed South instead of North. What can cause a compass to do that?

    • @TheAgamemnon911
      @TheAgamemnon911 10 років тому

      Magnets.
      Ok, I'll elaborate: You can flip the magnetic alignment of a compass needle by exposing it to another, stronger magnetic field.