Why doesn’t ice sink?

Most things become heavier when they freeze solid. But water becomes lighter when it freezes into solid ice. The reason for this lies in the tiny particles from which water is made. In liquid water, these particles cling together and slither around in a sort of follow the leader game. This game stops when the water becomes chilled to its freezing point.

The tiny particles then link themselves together in a lacy lattice work. In this icy embroidery there are tiny pockets of emptiness, making the structure more bulky, Ice takes up more space than the same amount of liquid water. It therefore weighs less and must float.