Storyclover
Storyclover
At sunrise, Mira crouched beside the pond and dropped a smooth rock into the water. Plop! The rock sank straight down.
Why Does Ice Float When Rocks Sink?Ice floats because water spreads out as it freezes, making solid ice lighter for its size than liquid water.
1. At sunrise, Mira crouched beside the pond and dropped a smooth rock into the water. Plop! The rock sank straight down.
2. Then Mira set an ice cube on the pond. The ice cube floated at the top, while the rock stayed below.
3. Mira pressed her lips together and looked from the rock to the ice. Both were solid, but only one stayed up. Why does ice float when rocks sink? She wanted an answer she could test, not a guess.
4. At the kitchen table, Mira filled a glass bowl with water. The rock rested on the bottom, but the ice cube stayed at the surface. The water held them differently, even though both were solid.
5. Mira made a fair test. She poured water into a shallow tray and placed a little wooden peg beside its waterline. Then she put the tray in the freezer.
6. The next morning, the tray held ice. The ice reached farther across the tray than the water had. Water had spread out as it froze.
7. Mira lifted a rock in one hand and an ice block in the other. They were nearly the same size, but the rock pulled her hand down. The ice block felt lighter and bobbed in the bowl.
8. Mira learned about tiny water molecules, the little pieces that make up water. In liquid water, they crowd close and slide past one another. In ice, they hold a roomier pattern with extra spaces.
9. Back at the pond, the rock rested on the bottom and the ice cube rested on the surface. Mira no longer needed to guess. A rock packs more matter into the same space, so it sinks. Ice floats because water spreads out as it freezes, making solid ice lighter for its size than liquid water.
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