Tilted Forum Project Discussion Community - View Single Post - Why does hot water freeze quicker than cold water when placed in a freezer???

shakran · 10-13-2003, 02:22 PM

There's a good demonstration of this you can try in the middle of winter if you live in a really cold place. It has to be REALLY cold to pull this off - we're talkin' 15, 20 below. Get a pitcher full of cold water and throw it outside. Then do the same thing with a pitcher of hot water. Notice how the hot water doesn't even hit the ground? It just explodes in a cloud of steam. This is because it's freezing instantly, whereas the cold water is not.

Reason behind it is the same as in the freezer - greater surface area due to the expansion of the molecules.

10-13-2003, 02:22 PM	#30 (permalink)
shakran Tone.	There's a good demonstration of this you can try in the middle of winter if you live in a really cold place. It has to be REALLY cold to pull this off - we're talkin' 15, 20 below. Get a pitcher full of cold water and throw it outside. Then do the same thing with a pitcher of hot water. Notice how the hot water doesn't even hit the ground? It just explodes in a cloud of steam. This is because it's freezing instantly, whereas the cold water is not. Reason behind it is the same as in the freezer - greater surface area due to the expansion of the molecules.