GENIUS FORUMS

This just occured to me.

Warm water tends to rest atop of colder water.

But frozen water rests atop warmer water.

Bizzare.


Searching for the truth, one finds oneself colder, stuck below the shallow warmth of humanity.

One hasnt become cold enough.

So by undergoing transformation from water into ice, one covers the surface, stopping the waves.

- Aaron Mathis

Outkast - Hey Ya
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Dvt1-Ju3yM

Water is odd that way. It expands when it freezes, so when it turns to ice it gets less dense and floats above liquid water. The phase change (from water to ice) has to occur in order for cold to float on top of warm, though, something to do with the molecular structure.

Philosophaster wrote:Water is odd that way. It expands when it freezes, so when it turns to ice it gets less dense and floats above liquid water.

So let me get this straight - -- cold water is more dense(more constricted and packed together) than warm water, but ice is less dense than warm water?

That is truly mind boggling for this boy Mathis - - something is missing in my perception. My thoughts are unsatisfactory at this point - - the solution: greater seeing.

Perception is like the root, and thought is like the fruit, isnt it?

I havent the roots to produce sufficient fruit right now.

Maybe a little rain, some sun, and some fertalizer from the genius forum crew might help.

So let me get this straight - -- cold water is more dense(more constricted and packed together) than warm water, but ice is less dense than warm water?

That's right. Liquid water is totally fluid, so the molecules can bump up against each other in whatever way they "please," but when water solidifies it makes a crystalline structure that's less efficient at packing the molecules together tightly; they end up being more "spaced out," so it's less dense.

It would be like if somebody told you, "Take a hundred marbles and lay them out on the floor, taking up as little space as you can." That would be "liquid water." Then if they told you, "Take those same hundred marbles and lay them out on the floor, but lay them out in little hexagons so that each marble is at least one centimeter from every other marble," that would be ice.

Philosophaster wrote:

So let me get this straight - -- cold water is more dense(more constricted and packed together) than warm water, but ice is less dense than warm water?

That's right. Liquid water is totally fluid, so the molecules can bump up against each other in whatever way they "please," but when water solidifies it makes a crystalline structure that's less efficient at packing the molecules together tightly; they end up being more "spaced out," so it's less dense.

It would be like if somebody told you, "Take a hundred marbles and lay them out on the floor, taking up as little space as you can." That would be "liquid water." Then if they told you, "Take those same hundred marbles and lay them out on the floor, but lay them out in little hexagons so that each marble is at least one centimeter from every other marble," that would be ice.

Got it. My understanding has transformed from vague liquid bemusings to a crystalized understanding.

Thanks philo :)