Obviously I know ice is just solid water but would ice be heavier than the same volume of water if you account for the expansion of water as it freezes?

I’m only curious because I know that as water freezes it traps air molecules inside its crystalline structure so I was wondering if it trapped enough to cause a distinguishable difference in weight between the two states.

    • ThatWeirdGuy1001@lemmy.worldOP
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      22
      ·
      1 month ago

      I blame the fact I just woke up for not thinking about the difference in density 😅 I was just filling up my water bottle with ice cubes and thought about how ice expands and my brain went “bigger must mean heavier”

          • CombatWombatEsq@lemmy.world
            link
            fedilink
            arrow-up
            7
            arrow-down
            4
            ·
            edit-2
            1 month ago

            It’s an old riddle that only works with imperial units. In traditional British (i.e. completely insane) fashion, the imperial weights and measures had two pounds in it, and you had to choose the right pound for the right thing you were weighing. The troy pound was used to measure metals and only has 12 ounces, whereas the pound used to measure feathers had 16, so a pound of feathers was 4 ounces heavier than a pound of steel or gold or whatever.

    • Dr. Bob@lemmy.ca
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      2
      arrow-down
      2
      ·
      1 month ago

      Density is mass by volume. The volume changes because of the crystalline lattice. The mass doesn’t change. I’m trying to decide if you’re trolling or not.

    • Ephera@lemmy.ml
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      12
      arrow-down
      2
      ·
      1 month ago

      Ackshually, gram is a measurement of mass, not of weight. And because a gram of ice takes up more volume than a gram of water, it is likely to float on top of the water, where it is slightly further away from the center of gravity, therefore experiencing less strong gravity. As such, a gram of ice likely weighs less than a gram of water. :P

      (I spent far too long thinking how I could torpedo that silly joke of yours, because I figured there must be something with mass vs. weight there. 🫠)

  • gedaliyah@lemmy.world
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    12
    arrow-down
    1
    ·
    1 month ago

    Water is weirdly one of the only materials that is lighter (less dense) in its solid form. That’s why ice cubes float.

    When a mass expands, it ALWAYS becomes less dense.

    Water does not “trap” air molecules as is freezes, although water may contain dissolved gasses.

  • ℕ𝕖𝕞𝕠@slrpnk.net
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    12
    arrow-down
    1
    ·
    1 month ago

    Ice is generally not full of air bubbles, so no, the same mass of water does not get heavier when turned to ice. The water just takes up more space in crystaline form, taking up more volume at a lower density.

  • Fleur_@aussie.zone
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    7
    ·
    1 month ago

    The typical ice you interact with is “lighter” than water but I’d describe it as “less dense.” There are forms of ice that are “heavier” (more dense, doesn’t float) than water but you won’t find it naturally occurring on earth, at least not in significant quantities. You can make this “heavy” ice by doing black magic chemistry

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phases_of_ice

  • sbird@sopuli.xyz
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    5
    ·
    1 month ago

    Ice is less dense then water due to extensive hydrogen bonding, lattice of hydrogen bonds form when water freezes. Chemistry!

  • Jeeve65@ttrpg.network
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    1
    arrow-down
    1
    ·
    1 month ago

    Good question. So, perform an experiment: put an ice cube without air bubbles in a glass containing a mixture of ice and cold water. The temperature should become 0°C (just before it freezes), measure it.

    Your hypothesis: ice is heavier than water, so it will sink

    Execute the test several times, preferably 10 times or more. More is better.

    Please share your experiment results. Interesting data to know for each test would include:

    • sequence number of the test
    • temperature of the mixture before and after you put the ice cube in
    • method of ice cube creation
    • volume of the ice cube
    • volume of water/ice mixture
    • depth of the water/ice mixture (should be > size of the ice cube)
    • type of water used (tap, bottled, …)
    • did the ice cube sink
    • if no, what volume of the cube remained above the surface level

    please also share your conclusion.