There is a force called buoyancy, capable of driving vertically upward bodies immersed in water or any other type of fluid.
Due to this principle, water has the power to exert this force on ice, whose intensity, direction and direction are defined by Archimedes' Principle:
When the body is placed in a fluid, it is acted upon by a force directed vertically upwards. The modulus of force (thrust) is equal to the modulus of the weight of the volume of this fluid displaced. They have the same module, the same direction, but opposite meanings.
Archimedes' principle was formulated for water, but it is valid for any type of fluid and also for floating and partially immersed bodies.
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Through the principle founded by Archimedes, we can obtain the mathematical equation of the magnitude of the thrust.
E = dL VL g
Where:
AND = thrust
d = density of liquid
V = volume of liquid displaced
g = local gravity acceleration
So the reason why ice cubes float in our drinking glasses is this: the density of water is much higher than the density of water. ice density, that is, a given volume of ice weighs much less than the same amount of water, thus causing ice float.
This phenomenon explains, for example, the reason why the huge icebergs (ice blocks) float in the high seas.
By Talita A. angels
Graduated in Physics
Would you like to reference this text in a school or academic work? Look:
ANGELS, Talita Alves dos. "Why do ice cubes float?"; Brazil School. Available in: https://brasilescola.uol.com.br/fisica/por-que-os-cubos-gelo-boiam.htm. Accessed on June 27, 2021.
