What enables ice to float?

Answer 1

Because, unusually, the density of the solid phase is LESS than the density of the liquid phase.

An ice cube in a glass of water floats. An iceberg when it forms (when it #"calves"# from a glacier), floats in the ocean and becomes a hazard to shipping. That the solid phase is LESS dense than the liquid phase is a highly unusual phenomenon.

The arrangement of solid water molecules happens to occupy 10% more volume than the liquid volume, which is why ice floats. Since sea water contains a lot of salts, the buoyancy of a fresh water berg should also be greater. The structure of solid ice is ordered by hydrogen bonds between molecules.

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Answer 2

Kai Bowman

Ice floats because it is less dense than liquid water. When water freezes, its molecules form a crystalline structure with an open arrangement, causing ice to occupy more space than the same mass of liquid water. This lower density makes ice less dense than water, allowing it to float on the surface.

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Answer from HIX Tutor

When evaluating a one-sided limit, you need to be careful when a quantity is approaching zero since its sign is different depending on which way it is approaching zero from. Let us look at some examples.