Water expands when it freezes

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Pieces of a broken glass bottle with ice in a freezer, after the expanding water caused the bottle to explode

Source: © Shutterstock

Use this demonstration to show that water expands when it freezes, showing students how it can break a bottle. Includes kit list and safety instructions.

In this practical, students observe what happens when a bottle is filled with water and allowed to freeze. The water expands as it freezes, which breaks the bottle. This is useful when teaching about the weathering of rocks and freeze-thaw.

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