ElI5 what exactly happens in the freezing process that makes ice less dense than liquid water?
In: Physics
Liquid water is disorganised. Ice is a crystal, which has a specific (hexagonal) structure. The expansion is when the liquid starts to assemble itself in to this regular structure. It takes up more space to be ordered than crammed in however.
The reason for this structure is called hydrogen bonds. The hydrogens on one molecule like to be close to the oxygens on others.
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