Fizz wrote:
We seem to go through this discussion every year.
Antifreeze is not used to protect the plumbing. It is used to flush out the water, the only liquid that expands when frozen.
Lets put the urban myth about water being the only liquid that expands when frozen. Amongst the elements the following are a few that are less dense as solids than liquids. (e.g. expand when solidifying)
gallium, silicon, germanium, bismuth, plutonium.
another very very very common compound that relies on the solid being less dense than the liquid is type metal used in printing. That way there are no voids in the type when it is solidified. (an alloy of antimony and tin)
another compound that is less dense as a solid is acetic acid.
While the vast majority of materials are more dense as solid vs. liquid there are many exceptions, water being probably the most common.
