Fact of the Day: 16/09/2021

When is water densest?

Your first thought might be, “When it’s solid,” but that’s actually not the case. Like with any substance, the more you lower the temperature of a sample of water, the denser it becomes as molecules lose kinetic energy and move closer together. However, this happens up to a point. As water freezes into ice, it actually starts expanding outward and gets less dense. So if water’s solid state isn’t the densest state… what is? The point of maximum density for water happens at around 4˚C (39.2˚F), according to Britannica. As you cool liquid water down to 4˚C, it will contract and its density will increase; density will peak at 4˚C, only to decrease for temperatures below that. Pretty cool, right?

Reference(s): https://www.britannica.com/question/When-is-water-the-most-dense

Fact Author: Ace

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