Ice Spikes Explained
Why do spikes form on ice cubes? Without them the world would be vastly different. Awesome Jingle by Accent: http://bit.ly/AccentVe Thanks to Prof. Stephen Morris from UofT: http://bit.ly/1GFANBE...
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Have you ever made ice cubes and then found that when you take them out of the freezerthere are spikes on them? This phenomenon has caused a lot of curiosity and some concern.The truth is, there is a simple physical process responsible for ice cube spikes. Ice cubscool first from their top surface where they are in direct contact with the cold freezerair and from which evaporative cooling can occur. So the first ice crystals form on thesurface of the ice cube and along its edges. Now as that ice freezes, it expands by roughlyeight percent. That is due to hydrogen bonding between the water molecules which makes themon average slightly further apart than they are in water. So as the ice grows in fromall sides, the water in the middle has nowhere to go. And it is for...
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Have you ever made ice cubes and then found that when you take them out of the freezerthere are spikes on them? This phenomenon has caused a lot of curiosity and some concern.The truth is, there is a simple physical process responsible for ice cube spikes. Ice cubscool first from their top surface where they are in direct contact with the cold freezerair and from which evaporative cooling can occur. So the first ice crystals form on thesurface of the ice cube and along its edges. Now as that ice freezes, it expands by roughlyeight percent. That is due to hydrogen bonding between the water molecules which makes themon average slightly further apart than they are in water. So as the ice grows in fromall sides, the water in the middle has nowhere to go. And it is for...
