My freezer is set at -21°C (-6°F) and tubs of ice cream come out hard as a rock and are near impossible to scoop. But if I set it a few degrees warmer, yet still way below the freezing point of water, I can scoop it easily. So, is there such a thing as both frozen and *really* frozen? Conversely, a boiling point is a boiling point, I believe. Heating water to a temp above 100°C gets you the same steam that you got at 100, just faster. Right?
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There are actually different phases of water ice formed at different temperatures and pressures. Under specific conditions, ice-iii is more dense than water, so it would sink. Being more dense, maybe it’s “harder”, if you could measure it. This is because water molecules arrange in different crystalline structures. But under normal atmospheric conditions in your freezer, ice is ice. And on the stove, boiling is boiling. Pressure is the variable that changes everything.
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