What makes water freezes

The title of this post would seem an appropriate question for an elementary-school science exam, but the answer is far more complicated than it first appears. Scientists have found liquid water as cold as degrees F in clouds and even cooled water down to degrees F in the lab. How low could they go? That turns out to be a tricky problem to answer. When liquid water is cooled below degrees F, it crystallizes into ice too quickly for scientists to measure the temperature of the liquid.

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Follow Twitter Instagram Facebook. Does salt water freeze? At what temperature does ocean water freeze? Is polar ice freshwater or salt water? Wonder What's Next? Hang onto your umbrella! Try It Out Are you up for a swim? Be sure to check out the following activities with a friend or family member: Ready to see for yourself how salt affects the freezing point of water? Grab a friend or family member and try this easy science experiment at home.

You'll need just a few simple supplies: two empty plastic bottles clear water bottles work great! Fill both plastic bottles with water.

Add two tablespoons of salt to one bottle. Be sure to mark the bottles "plain water" and "salt water. After an hour or two, check on your bottles. Is the plain water bottle frozen more solidly than the salt water bottle? In a similar way, ocean water takes more time and lower temperatures to freeze solid. How cool is that? If you want to see what effect waves have on freezing ocean water, you can repeat your experiment.

Only this time, put just plain water in both containers. Set a timer and slowly shake one of the containers every five minutes or so. This will simulate to a degree the effect of ocean waves. After an hour or so, do you notice any difference in the solidity of the two containers?

Did the wave action appear to slow down the freezing process? If not, why do you think you did not see any effect? Do you need more constant motion to see a change? Experiment with different types of wave motions and more frequent timing, if you're curious to learn more! What do you think of when you hear the words salt and water? For some, the sweet, gooey substance known as salt water taffy springs to mind. Have fun making a delicious treat everyone will be sure to enjoy!

Did you get it? Test your knowledge. What are you wondering? Wonder Words temperature freshwater hydrogen oxygen molecule salt water pond freeze ice polar creek river crystalline movement wave ocean particle Take the Wonder Word Challenge. Join the Discussion. Bianca Apr 14, I loved this!!! This really helped me with my science fair lab report!! Apr 15, You're welcome, Bianca! Feb 12, Hi, lily. Jaime Mar 7, Mar 8, The following is how you would cite this page: "Does Salt Water Freeze?

Lily Feb 27, I love wonderopolis it is so helpful! It covers things I didn't know before! Feb 28, Lily Mar 5, Mar 6, DD Dec 30, HI thanks this wonder helped me do my science project!

Jan 2, We're glad to help! Let us know how the science project goes!! Luke Oct 22, Oct 26, I am going to science class next passing period. Aug 11, Toby Jun 12, How come the salt stops the sea from making more antarctica. Jun 14, Toby Aug 9, Zach Mar 16, I love Wonderopolis and I think more people should go on this everyday. Mar 16, Zachary Mar 16, Hey, Zachary! What's up with you? How did you like this Wonder? EndergamingEX Dec 19, Dec 19, That's right, EndergamingEX!

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Dec 15, Jaden Dec 14, The water dose not freeze because of the salt in it Mutch like the salt you put on your drive way so you won't slip on the ice.

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Zach King Dec 12, Wat will freeze first. All molecules and atoms have forces that attract one to the other. Some atoms, such as carbon, hold on to each other very strongly; others, such as helium, have very little attractive force.

Substances with strong attractive forces freeze at thousands of degrees Fahrenheit, whereas those whose forces are weak, such as nitrogen, freeze at very frigid temperatures. The attraction between water molecules is moderate -- neither weak nor powerful -- so water freezes at a modest 32 degrees Fahrenheit.

If you add other substances to water, such as sugar or salt, the temperature drops below 32 degrees before ice begins to form. The new freezing point depends on the added substance and how much you mix with water, and this is why cities put salt on the roads in some states to remove ice and snow in the winter. As another example, vodka, a mixture of water and alcohol, stays liquid for an extended period when kept in a freezer.

The alcohol in the vodka lowers the freezing point significantly. Most substances contract, or shrink, in volume as they get cold. Water only contracts until it is lowered to 39 degrees; at colder temperatures, it begins to expand.