Water Grows When It Freezes

Water expands by about 9 percent as it turns to ice.

Most substances shrink as they solidify. Water molecules instead lock into an open crystal with more space between them, which is why ice floats and why a forgotten soda can burst in the freezer.

Check it yourself

Compare the density of water and ice in any physics table: about 1.00 and 0.92 grams per cubic centimeter.