Activity 1 - Ice is an Unusual Material

Use the resources listed below to help you complete this activity.

To learn more about this topic, visit the following web sites:

The Unusual Properties of Ice

"Water and Ice" - MathMol - NYU/ACF Scientific Visualization Laboratory
This site compares the atomic structures of water and ice using text, color images, and movies.

"Ice" - California Institute of Technology - Division of Geological and Planetary Sciences
This site covers the atomic structure of ice (including a review of hydrogen bonds) and looks at how the atomic structure influences how ice looks, flows, feels, etc.

Ice in the Atmosphere

"Questions and Answers About Snow" - National Snow and Ice Data Center
List of questions and answers about snow, including topics such as why snow is white, how its texture changes with temperature, and more.

"Snow Crystals" - California Institute of Technology
Click on links on menu to cover early snow crystal observation, photo collections, snow crystal classifications, snowflakes grown in the laboratory ("designer snowflakes"), and a snow crystal primer that provides information on snow crystal physics.

Frost Wedging

Frost Wedging, by Michael Dallin, Rocky Mountain National Park

Inquiring Further:

Students will need a plastic milk jug, a measuring cup (to measure volume), water, and access to a freezer.

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Last updated: May 11, 2010

This project is supported, in part, by the National Science Foundation and the AGI Foundation. Opinions expressed are those of the authors and not necessarily those of the Foundation.