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Why is ice less dense than water?

Well, my chemistry teacher gave a website link to a website that was supposed to help answer this but it only showed diagrams, but I didn’t really know why it’s less dense, help’s appreciated!

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Answer #1

I think its because water is one of the few substances that actually expands as it gets colder. thus there is more volume for the same amount of mass, making it less dense.

Answer #2

Because of the hydrogen-bonds…

Answer #3

This site goes into the physical properties… (the h-bonds etc) http://www.bluedevilchem.com/info/water.htm

Answer #4

The molecules in water is further apart in water than ice, so the water is more dense than ice.

Answer #5

Because Hydrogen atoms have a special affinity for oxygen atoms and will try to bond with them whenever they’re available. As water cools and the molecules get closer together the hydrogen atoms will shift to try and bond with adjacent oxygen atoms forcing space between the molecules and increasing the volume of the ice.

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