Grade 10 Physics · Strand 1: Mechanics and Thermal Physics · Temperature and Thermal Expansion
Anomalous Expansion of Water
A short Grade 10 Physics lesson for the CBE curriculum, part of Mechanics and Thermal Physics: Temperature and Thermal Expansion. Learn it on any phone with notes and slides, then check yourself with a quick quiz and earn XP. This lesson is free.
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5 questions from this lesson’s quiz. Start the lesson to answer them and see the right answers.
1. Between which two temperatures does pure water show anomalous expansion?
- A. 0 °C and 4 °C
- B. 4 °C and 10 °C
- C. 10 °C and 50 °C
- D. 90 °C and 100 °C
2. A fixed mass of pure water is warmed from 0 °C to 10 °C. At which temperature does it have its smallest volume and greatest density?
- A. 0 °C
- B. 4 °C
- C. 7 °C
- D. 10 °C
3. The density of ice at 0 °C is 0.92 g/cm^3. Calculate the volume of a block of ice of mass 920 g.
Type your answer (in cm^3) in the lesson.
4. What term describes the unusual behaviour of water contracting when it is warmed from 0 °C to 4 °C?
Type your answer in the lesson.
5. In a deep lake in a very cold climate, the surface freezes first while fish survive in liquid water below. Which statement best explains this?
- A. Ice is denser than water, so it stays at the bottom and keeps the fish warm.
- B. Water at 4 °C is densest and sinks, while colder water below 4 °C is less dense and stays on top to form floating ice.
- C. Water contracts when it freezes, so the ice sheet shrinks and traps heat.
- D. Water at 0 °C is the densest, so it sinks to the lake bed.
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