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What happens to water when it freezes? Its mass increases. Its mass decreases. Its density increases. Its density decreases.

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What happens to water when it freezes?
Its mass increases.
Its mass decreases.
Its density increases.
Its density decreases.

What happens to water when it freezes? Its mass increases. Its mass decreases. Its density increases. Its density decreases.

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AmberVeteran · Tutor for 11 years

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<p> Its density decreases.</p>

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<p> To answer this question, we need to understand the properties of water and how they change when it transitions from a liquid to a solid state (freezing). <br /><br />1. **Change in Mass**: The mass of a substance remains constant during a phase change. This is due to the law of conservation of mass, which states that mass cannot be created or destroyed in a chemical reaction or physical transformation. Therefore, when water freezes, its mass does not increase or decrease.<br /><br />2. **Change in Density**: Density is defined as mass per unit volume. When water freezes, it expands, which is a unique property of water. Most substances contract when they solidify, but water expands due to the formation of a hexagonal crystalline structure in ice. This structure is less dense than the molecular arrangement in liquid water. As a result, the volume of water increases when it freezes, leading to a decrease in density. <br /><br />Therefore, the correct answer is that the density of water decreases when it freezes.<br /><br /></p>
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