[neilep (OP)]

Wocha Peeps !

How are ewe ?..I'm ok....been a bit busy....and ewe ?

I'm so glad we had this chance to chat !..I do enjoy these little get-togethers..........ewe should get your people to ring my people and we can do lunch next time !


Anyway,

see this glass of ice cubes ?

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Nice eh ?

Why is it that when I add my drinky to this glassy that a lot of the time...the ice cubes just sit there at the bottom doing sod all !!..and then...after a few minutes do they decide to come up for air  ?

Ewe've had this happen yes ?.....


Personally I think I have an invisible ice fairy keeping her feet pressed down on the ice...and then when she flies off that's when the ice floats !...yes..yes..I am sure this is right !!

is it ?


Cheers!!!



Neil
Ice Cube Asker


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[Karen W.]

Perhaps the air bubbles in the ice formation allows floating to take place!

[RD]

This may be the old "nuts in lager" phenomenon, (no, not a rugby club initiation [] )

If you drop a peanut into fizzy lager it initially sinks to the bottom where it collects bubbles, then after a minute it floats to the surface, it then sheds its bubbles and sinks back to the bottom of the glass. The cycle repeats itself with the peanut (or raisin) rising and falling until the lager goes flat.   

[LeeE]

They may have frozen to the bottom of the glass.  There would be a bit of melting when the ice cubes first touch the glass but as glass is a good insulator and water is quite a good conductor, it's possible that the ice cubes are able to transport the heat away from the glass more quickly than the glass can conduct more heat to the ice, so the water re-freezes, sticking the ice cubes to the glass.  Eventually, the ice bonding the cube to the glass melts and the cubes float free.

[neilep (OP)]

Perhaps the air bubbles in the ice formation allows floating to take place!

Thanks Karen.

Ice is lighter than water...which is why I am puzzled that it takes a while to realise that itself when I add my drinky !....though...I can see there are other posters so hopefully an answer beckons !!

[neilep (OP)]

This may be the old "nuts in lager" phenomenon, (no, not a rugby club initiation [] )

If you drop a peanut into fizzy lager it initially sinks to the bottom where it collects bubbles, then after a minute it floats to the surface, it then sheds its bubbles and sinks back to the bottom of the glass. The cycle repeats itself with the peanut (or raisin) rising and falling until the lager goes flat.   

Thank Ewe RD....yes....I see what ewe mean....but in this case the ice remains at the top until it just melts away !....but I like your thinking and appreciate your answer..

[neilep (OP)]

They may have frozen to the bottom of the glass.  There would be a bit of melting when the ice cubes first touch the glass but as glass is a good insulator and water is quite a good conductor, it's possible that the ice cubes are able to transport the heat away from the glass more quickly than the glass can conduct more heat to the ice, so the water re-freezes, sticking the ice cubes to the glass.  Eventually, the ice bonding the cube to the glass melts and the cubes float free.

Thank Ewe LeeE...this does sound like the phenomena that is happening here.

I see....so for a short time the ice must all bond together and anchor itself to the bottom of the glass.....


Thank ewe....thank YOU all !!

[Madidus_Scientia]

If the ice cubes are stacked on each other like in the pic, then the weight of the top cubes will hold the bottom ones down, even though they are trying to float. Once the water level rises up to the top then all of the ice cubes will float.

Ice is less dense than water because it expands when it freezes, there is no need for air bubbles or fizzy drinks.

[neilep (OP)]

If the ice cubes are stacked on each other like in the pic, then the weight of the top cubes will hold the bottom ones down, even though they are trying to float. Once the water level rises up to the top then all of the ice cubes will float.

Ice is less dense than water because it expands when it freezes, there is no need for air bubbles or fizzy drinks.

Thank Ewe Madidus_Scientia,


Yes, that was in fact a poor choice of picture..My apols !!...........usually all the cubes are in a bundle, laying three or four wide (It's a big mug and I like lots of ice)........the fact is....be it a fizzy drink or a still one....once the mug is full......it takes a good couple of minutes for the cubes to suddenly appear 'en masse '

[Madidus_Scientia]

I see, LeeE's suggestion seems most plausable then

[neilep (OP)]

I see, LeeE's suggestion seems most plausable then

If I videod it and uploaded it to You Tube and Metacafe.....d'ya think I could retire on the money I'd earn and have it be a cult status thingy ?

I can see people canceling nights out to  'A  'List celeb parties and delaying the births of their children just so that they could watch my ice cubes pop up !!

No delusions of grandeur here !!  []

[RD]

The density of ethanol (alcohol) is lower than water, e.g. water-ice cubes would not float in pure liquid ethanol.

As the water-ice melted the density of the liquid in the glass would slowly increase by the addition of melt water,
 (as liquid-water is more dense than liquid-ethanol).

After a few minutes of melting,
 the density of the liquid (water+ethanol) could be then be high enough to cause the the sunken cubes to float.

Like ethanol, Diet soft-drinks also have a density less than water, so your tardy cubes do not necessarily indicate alcoholism  [] ...
http://www.middleschoolscience.com/dietcoke.htm