Phil Ethier wrote:
> Water gets smaller as it gets colder. It gets bigger when it freezes.
>
> Water assumes a crystal lattice structure in its solid state. This is why
ice
> floats on top of water.
Well . . . not exactly. Water does contract (gets smaller) as it gets
colder - which is why the water in those Minnesota lakes gets colder as you
go deeper.
But it starts to expand again when it gets within a few degrees of freezing
(4 degrees C) - which is why the ice forms on the surface of the lake rather
than forming on the bottom and floating to the top.
And it continues to expand as it turns into ice - which, as you point out,
is why ice floats.
All of which may have limited practical application to Triumphs . . .
Jim Hill
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