Question

Why does ice float on water?

Answer 1

Ice floats on water:

1. The density is directly proportional to mass and inversely proportional to the volume.
2. Formula: $\mathrm{\rho }=\frac{\mathrm{m}}{\mathrm{v}}$. Here, $\mathrm{\rho }$ is the density, m is the mass and v is the volume.
3. The ice float on water because its density is less than water. The density of ice is $0.931\mathrm{gm}-{\mathrm{cm}}^{-3}$ and the density of water is $1.0\mathrm{gm}-{\mathrm{cm}}^{-3}$.
4. Since the ice is lighter than water so the water displaces the ice and causes it to float on top.
5. The hydrogen bonding and the cage-like structure of ice are responsible to have lower density.

Therefore, ice floats on water.