Madhur fully filled a glass bottle with
water, put a stopper on it and placed it
upright in the freezer overnight. When he
looked at it in the morning, the stopper
was out of the bottle and a column of
ice had emerged through the opening of
the bottle
Which one of the following is the best
explanation for what Madhur had
observed?
(A) The bottle had contracted when it
was put in the freezer and the water
could no longer fit into it.
(B) Extra water condensed from the air
in the freezer and then froze to form
the column of ice.
(C) The bottle and stopper had contracted,
allowing the water to pour out and
form the ice column.
(D) The volume of water had increased
when the water froze, forcing the
stopper out of the bottle and forming
the column of ice.
Answers
Answer:
(A) The bottle had contracted when it
was put in the freezer and the water
could no longer fit into it.
(B) Extra water condensed from the air
in the freezer and then froze to form
the column of ice.
(C) The bottle and stopper had contracted,
allowing the water to pour out and
form the ice column.
(D) The volume of water had increased
when the water froze, forcing the
stopper out of the bottle and forming
the column of ice.
Answer:Correct option is D
The volume of water had increased when the water froze, forcing the stopper out of the bottle and forming the column of ice.
Water expands (increase in volume) upon freezing. This is due to the fact that upon freezing, water molecules crystallize into an open hexagonal lattice form in which molecules enclose more space among themselves than in the liquid state. Thus, in the given case, volume of water increased when the water froze, forcing the stopper out of the bottle and forming the column of ice.
Explanation: