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1answer
40 views

1/2 freeze a water bottle

Is it possible to quick freeze half of an unopened bottle of water or soda by putting half of the bottle in a subfreezing solution liquid nitrogen or other solution without freezing the whole bottle?
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1answer
40 views

How to homegrow large, momocrystalline water ice crystals

This is a follow up to this question:Can one get clear ice crystals from a dirty suspension?. How could one grow a large - meaning visible with the naked eye - water ice crstal with common household ...
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0answers
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Can one get clear ice crystals from a dirty suspension?

Euteictic freeze crystallization is a method where an electrolytic solution is cooled and separated into a stream of (relativly) clean, pure ice and a salty brine. I know anectdotally of wine ...
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1answer
60 views

Electromagnetic field to cool a substance?

I saw somewhere that an electromagnetic field would cause a substance to let off thermal energy, ultimately resulting in the substance to cool really quickly. If this is possible, does the strength ...
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2answers
251 views

Freezing point of water with respect to pressure.

I know when the pressure is reduced, the boiling point of water is reduced as well. But how does the pressure affect the freezing point of water ? In a low pressure environment is the freezing point ...
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1answer
54 views

How does the size and load of a freezer affect the rate of freezing of an item?

I undertsand the size and load of a freezer can affect the rate a freezer will freeze food. I thought the temperature alone was the major factors which determined how fast/slow food freezes in ...
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0answers
43 views

How does a snowflake “know” to form symmetrically? [duplicate]

Possible Duplicate: Why are snowflakes symmetrical? Under ideal situations, a snowflake forms into near perfect hexagonal symmetry. How? For instance, when a water molecule moves towards ...
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3answers
505 views

Freezing point depression - cooling my drink with the same method as salt on a highway?

I understand that adding/sprinkling, say NaCl, on a highway depresses the freezing point by making any moisture on the road harder to freeze as the NaCl molecules get in the way of phase transition. ...
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1answer
51 views

Freeze and “break apart” an object. How?

Is it possible to freeze an object, say an apple, and then drop it so that is will break apart into pieces? And if so, how can it be achieved?
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1answer
283 views

Liquid with freezing point above 0 Celsius that could be use at ice rinks

Please help me with an answer to my dilemma: Is there a liquid that could be used to fill an ice rink (non-explosive, non-poisonous, etc), and have the freezing point above 0 Celsius?
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2answers
149 views

Why laundry dry up also in cold/frost?

Why laundry dry up also in cold/frost? When you have frost, water in the clothes should freeze, but if clothes are dry, then it should be possible that steam in the clothes does not have time to ...
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1answer
1k views

What happens to the temperature of the water when you add salt to a bowl of melting ice?

If you have a bowl of ice that's melting, so the ambient temperature is just above 0 °C, what happens to the temperature of the water when you add salt? I know that the freezing point of salt water ...
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1answer
82 views

can hydrogen stay frozen in vacuum?

I've look into the hydrogen state diagram, and it seems that it can be frozen under pressure. Question: Does this mean that hydrogen cannot be kept frozen in a vacuum chamber?
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2answers
405 views

What is the status of Mpemba effect investigations?

There is this puzzling thing that is called Mpemba effect: paradoxically, warm (35°C) water freezes faster than cold (5°C) water. As a physisist, I've been asked about it several times already. And I ...
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1answer
197 views

Cause of sea ice freezing during an upwell event

One of the Episodes of BBC's documentary Frozen Planet describes an upwell phenomenon in the Antarctic Ocean. I am trying to understand the cause of seawater freezing when this upwell occurs. Liquid ...
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1answer
748 views

Why did my frozen water bottle explode when I opened it after it defrosted a bit?

Last night I filled a 20 fl oz bottle (http://www.thenibble.com/reviews/main/beverages/soft-drinks/boylans-mash.asp) with lukewarm water from my tap. I filled the bottle pretty much to the brim, ...
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4answers
1k views

What kinds of materials contract the most in cold temperatures?

I know that water expands in the freezer, but I'm curious about which materials contract in response to cold temperatures --- and most importantly, which ones undergo the most drastic changes?
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3answers
1k views

Thermodynamics of supercooled water

Now that it's been freezing outside for the last few days, I experimented a bit with supercooling. I've left a bottle of clean water outside for a few hours, and behold, when I shook the bottle, the ...
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0answers
630 views

Easy to obtain liquid with freezing point a couple of degrees above 0 Celsius [closed]

Please advice me a liquid whose freezing point is 2-5 Celsius. I know that the solution of salt in water can have freezing point of about -3 Celsius. I would like to know if similar liquid but with ...
3
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2answers
255 views

Will the water added to an ice piece freeze?

Water, at room temperature is poured into a hole made of a block of melting ice(kept at room temperature).I was wondering if the water will ever freeze? Thank you.
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4answers
2k views

Why are snowflakes symmetrical?

The title says it all. Why are snowflakes symmetrical in shape and not a mush of ice? Is it a property of water freezing or what? Does anyone care to explain it to me? I'm intrigued by this and ...
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3answers
2k views

Why does frozen water burst a pipe?

When water freezes in a pipe it can crack the pipe open. I assume this takes quite a lot of energy as when I try to crack a pipe it can be hard work! I think water freezing is a result of energy ...
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4answers
3k views

Dangers of using liquid nitrogen

So, I remember in college physics the prof using liquid nitrogen in a demonstration. When he was done, he threw the container of LN at the front row, and of course it evaporated (or whatever) before ...
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1answer
747 views

How can I prevent drinking water from freezing in cold weather? [closed]

I'd like to keep a container of potable water in my car for when I get stuck, but in the winter it gets cold enough for bottled water to freeze. I can't put salt in it, because then it won't be ...
4
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2answers
429 views

Why does a slight drip of water protect pipes from freezing?

I've heard that turning on faucets to a slight drip will prevent pipes from freezing, but I've never understood why this is the case. Can anyone out there help me to understand? Thanks!
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2answers
3k views

How does watering your plants help protect against freezing?

I've always heard that watering plants if the temperature goes a few degrees below freezing will help prevent them from freezing, but I've never quite understood the physics behind it. Can you guys ...