Question

Which property of water explains ice floating on top of a pond rather than sinking

Answer 1

The property of water that explains ice floating on top of a pond rather than sinking is its lower density in the solid state compared to the liquid state. When water freezes, its molecules arrange themselves in a fixed lattice structure, which causes the water molecules to be more spread out and less dense. As a result, the ice formed is less dense than the liquid water, causing it to float on top rather than sink. This property is known as the density anomaly of water.