eli5: Why is water the only substance that explands when it freezes?
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It is not the *only* substance to do this. It is, however, one of a rare few. When a substance solidifies, its molecules settle from a chaotic mess into a more organized structure. Think of it like magnets snapping together.
The shape of this structure depends on the ‘shape’ of our ‘magnets’; the way they want to arrange themselves. In water, this shape is less tightly packed than the chaotic soup of the liquid form, so water expands as it freezes.
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