water add

[de_simmonz]

If you ice at 0 degrees celcius to a container of water maintained at 0 degrees celcius, the ice will float on the water finding a certain level in the container. As the ice gradually melts, forming liquid water at 0 degrees celcius, would you expect the water level in the container to go up, down, or remain the same? why?

[IndieSinger]

This was asked and answered last week. Click here (or just scroll down a little...)

[kempie]

The level remains constant.

By Archimedes' Principle, the upthrust equals the weight of water displaced. The weight of the ice cubes = weight of the water displaced which is the volume of water below the water line. When the ice melts it will have a volume that fits into the space occupied by the ice that was underwater.

[rojash]

Indie, that was a completely different question!

[bernardo]

Indie have you been drinking too much iced water recently?

[brachiopod]

Indie, where have you been?

Never mind iced water, perhaps the 'water of life' ?

Welcome back, anyway!!

[Hammer]

But if ice is less dense than water, when it melts it would have a smaller volume, so the level in the glass would go down, wouldn't it?

[rojash]

" But if ice is less dense than water,"
I could be wrong but I think you'll find that ice at 0 deg is the same density as water at 0 deg, which was what was specified in the question.

[bernardo]

Hammer: But if ice is less dense than water, when it melts it would have a smaller volume, so the level in the glass would go down, wouldn't it?

The level of ice would go down, but as the ice melts, the ice would shrink down to the level where the water is in the first place.  In other words, the total volume of the ice below and above the water level will be replaced by a volume of water equal to the volume of the ice below the water level only.  In other words, the water will stay at the same level.

rojash: The density of ice at 0 degrees Celsius is less than the density of water at 0 degrees Celsius, ie ice has more volume than water.

[rojash]

Thanks Bernado, in fact I found this later:

"At 0� C it [ice] has specific gravity 0.9168 as compared to specific gravity 0.9998 of water at the same temperature"

And yes, I understand it has no direct bearing on the answer to the question :-)