At the end of my book
The Undercover Scientist or
Why Sh*t Happens in
USA, I give an email address: ithinkyourewrong@peterjbentley.com for my readers to contact
me with corrections if they spot any errors. I always welcome feedback from readers, and in
this case I hope I was able to help. In case it interests other people, I give the query followed
by my reply below.
Hi Peter
Firstly, congratulations on producing a fantastic book. All my
family (wife, and two high school children) are reading and enjoying.
Something that we questioned is on Page 26, where it states
that 'At the same pressure, a gas needs more space than a liquid (and a liquid needs more
space than a solid)'
If thats correct then why do frozen pipes crack ?
I'm pleased you and your family enjoyed the book! It's a vey good question - the
answer is that water behaves rather strangely. Unlike most solids, ice has more space
between its molecules compared to its liquid form, water. It's because of the shape of water
molecules, which like to lock themselves together in a little "honeycomb-like" structure.
That's why ice floats on water, and why ice expands. But water is a weird exception (that
happens to be commonplace to us) - most solids are more dense and smaller compared to
their liquid form, just as the liquid form is more dense and smaller compared to the gaseous
form. For more information, check out this website:
http://www.iapws.org/faq1/freeze.htm
I hope this helps!
