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Unlike most materials, what unusual behavior does water show when it freezes, according to the source?
AIts volume increases, and this can fracture rock or crack an engine
BIts volume decreases sharply, unlike any other substance
CIts mass increases noticeably as it turns to ice
DIts bulk modulus becomes exactly zero once frozen
Answer & Solution
Correct answer: A. Its volume increases, and this can fracture rock or crack an engine
1. Most materials contract as they cool and solidify, since their molecules pack more closely together.
2. The source flags water as an exception: it expands when it freezes rather than contracting.
3. That expansion generates large forces on anything constraining the water, which can fracture a boulder, rupture a cell, or crack an engine block.
4. This is a change in volume, not a change in mass, and the source never claims water's bulk modulus drops to zero on freezing.
_Source: OpenStax College Physics (CC BY 4.0), Ch 5 "Further Applications of Newton's Laws: Friction, Drag, and Elasticity", section 5.3 Elasticity: Stress and Strain_
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