Science question

[caseydog]

I got a response...

Re: Why does water freeze in some bottles, and not others?

Greetings Glenn,

Thanks for submitting your question about freezing to the MadSci Network. I am
pleased to let you know that questions related to yours have been answered
on our site. Take a look at this answer :

http://www.madsci.org/posts/archives/20 ... .Es.r.html

and

http://www.madsci.org/posts/archives/20 ... .Ph.r.html

and

http://madsci.org/posts/archives/mar200 ... .Ph.r.html

You can also use our search engine to locate answers containing the word(s) nucleation freeze OR nucleat supercool (with the exact matching option turned off) : http://www.madsci.org/MS_search.html

What is happening is that you are supercooling your water (lowering it
below the freezing point) while leaving it undisturbed. The inner surfaces
of a plastic bottle are very smooth, and there are very few "nucleation
points" where ice crystals can start to form. When you agitate the bottle,
the turbulence allows ice formation to begin, and soon enough the entire
bottle freezes solid. Try shaking the bottles that remain liquid; they should
very rapidly develop ice crystals, if they do not freeze solid.

Cheers!
Steve Mack, Moderator MadSci Network

[48Rob]

Thank you!

Those responses answered another question I'd been wondering about...

Rob

[caseydog]

Thank you!

Those responses answered another question I'd been wondering about...

Rob

Oh? Have you been wondering how many of us have no lives?

CD

[Walt M]

I'm not sure about how salt and ice works so well, but I know that when you make ice cream you have to add salt to the ice for a faster freeze. Walt

[starleen2]

you can also superheat water. If you microwave pure (distilled) water it will go past boiling point without boiling. And you can get severe burns if you put anything in it because it explodes if you put a fork, salt etc anything in it. VERY DANGEROUS!

[Larwyn]

My only question is "how does adding rock salt to ice make it colder"?

Mike...

Mike,

I have no idea why. Just know that it works........

[Kevin A]

My only question is "how does adding rock salt to ice make it colder"?

Mike...

http://wiki.answers.com/Q/Why_does_rock ... ice_colder

[48Rob]

48Rob wrote:
Thank you!

Those responses answered another question I'd been wondering about...

Rob


Oh? Have you been wondering how many of us have no lives?

CD

How'd you know

No, actually it was the one about why hot water pipes burst before cold water pipes.

Rob

[Jiminsav]

I once put a bottle of water in the freezer to cool it whilst working on my trailer, and then got side tracked and forgot about it.
the next day, I remembered the bottle and went to the freezer and lo & behold, the bottle wasn't frozen.
I said to myself "what the heck"?
but as soon as I touched the bottle, it froze solid in a blink.
science in action.