If I filled a box TO THE BRIM with 75% water and 25% ice, sealed the box shut in a way that it was as if it was never openable, and then waited for the ice to melt, what would happen? Would it manage to destroy the box? Would I accidentally start a black hole that would suck up the Earth and kill us all?
In: Physics
Nothing. Ice is less dense than water, so when the ice melts it will take up less space in the box, leaving you with a box that appears just a bit less full than when you shut it (assuming the ice is fully submerged when it’s shut).
If you do the reverse of this (which I presume is what you actually want the answer to), then you’d be freezing the water, which will make it take up more space. The pressure from the walls of the box, however, will prevent the water from freezing as there isn’t enough space for the crystal structure of ice to form.
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