Engineer/Physicist needed

[3dkicker]

Somebody please explain how this happened??? Put the water in the freezer in the evening and found this the next morning. Nothing was above or below the tray.

[joedog]

The short explanation is this: as the ice freezes fast under supercooled conditions, the surface can get covered except for a small hole. Water expands when it freezes. As freezing continues, the expanding ice under the surface forces the remaining water up through the hole and it freezes around the edge forming a hollow spike. Eventually, the whole thing freezes and the spike is left.

I know the Engineer/Physicist can explain it better but for a low ammo guy like me, this is what's happening.

The good news is that your freezer is very good and freezes very fast....and that's probably why you got it.

[MississippiBoy]

Joe, I don't know if you're right or not, but that explanation at least makes sense to me.

Try this little experiment one day: take 2 identical containers, small enough that both will fit in your freezer. Fill one of them with water at room temperature, and put boiling water in the other one. Put them both in the freezer, then take bets with all your buddies on which one will freeze first.
That has the potential to win you a lot of money....

[nofearengineer]

That sounds very reasonable, Joe.

There's a video of sort of the opposite thing happening.

The "Icicle of Death".

[joedog]

Originally Posted by MississippiBoy

Joe, I don't know if you're right or not, but that explanation at least makes sense to me.

Try this little experiment one day: take 2 identical containers, small enough that both will fit in your freezer. Fill one of them with water at room temperature, and put boiling water in the other one. Put them both in the freezer, then take bets with all your buddies on which one will freeze first.
That has the potential to win you a lot of money....

The boiling because the molecules are closer together in the boiling hence the water freezes faster....I think.

[3dkicker]

Thought it had to do with the freezing process but it has never happened before or since. I wanted to go with miniture ufo's or a dead physics teacher haunting my freezer.....I'd love to see a slow motion video of this occuring!

[joedog]

http://video.search.yahoo.com/video/...spart=att&tt=b

Now Smitty is there any chance you used distilled water or bottled or purified?
Happens more frquently with distlled water I quess? Less impurities is the reason.
See the coloring at the end of the clip...that's due to the impurities....I quess.

[lilmule]

I had same thing outside in an ashtray ,used it for a sundial until it melted,protected from drips was windy,cold as blue blazes.Was rainwater collected in ashtray that froze nothing distilled about it.Went from 35f to about 12 with 25mph wind in matter of hrs.
Got some laughs on FB as was weird.

[joedog]

Usually you don't have to 'distill' rainwater.

It can happen with any water but happens more frequently in distilled.
If you feel a need to purify your rain it maybe time to find a new neighborhood.

Only reason for the question was because this happened 'once' in a home freezer.
Just trying to explain the 'whys' or the 'maybe whys".

[1/4 stick]

Because the ice cube beside it is a tease?

[Bassboss]

The capillary action of water perhaps.

Due to water's polarity it likes to "climb" on top of its self. My best guess is that a big area of surface area of the water was froze with just a small hole left to be frozen. The water continued to climb onto its self after a portion froze in just continued to do so.

I'll print the picture out and ask my chemistry teacher for ya to be sure though.

[3dkicker]

Thanks for finding the video Joe. It was just plain tap water. Nothing special about it.