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Another solution is to leave the tap open
just a little bit. Then the expanding water
can push out the end of the pipe. The water
might freeze in the pipe, but the pipe will
not break. If the tap is closed, the water is
trapped. Then something will break when
the water freezes.
Remember those icebergs in the northern
and southern seas? Why do they float?
There is a connection between floating
icebergs and breaking water pipes. Do you
know what it is?
Why do pipes break? Because water expands as it turns to ice. The
amount (mass) of water doesn’t change, only its volume. If the mass
stays the same but the volume increases, the density of ice changes.
If ice is less dense than liquid water, what will happen when you put
ice in water? It floats.
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