Explain why icebergs float with about 10% of there mass above water?

Question

Explain why icebergs float with about 10% of there mass above water?

Answer 1

When an object floats in water it displaces a quantity of water equal to the weight of the object, (unlike what happens when an object sinks in water, where it displaces a quantity of water equal to its volume.)

Suppose an iceberg has a mass of 1 kg (I said "suppose".)  Then enough of it will be submerged so that it will displace 1 kg of water.  The density of seawater is about 1.027 g/cm^3 and the density of ice is about 0.92 g/cm^3.

Our 1 kg of ice will have a volume of 1087 cm^3.  It will displace 1 kg of seawater with a volume of 973.7 cm^3

973.7 / 1087 x 100 = 89.6 %

89.6 % of the iceberg is submerged.

Answer 2

The iceberg is less dense than seawater; the density of pure ice is about 920 kg/m³, and that of sea water about 1025 kg/m³

Ice is crystalline water molecules that are ordered with more space between each other than liquid water-o ice is less dense than water. Than means the same volume of water weighs more than same volume of ice.

9/10 is under water because the amount of water displaced by 9/10 of the volume of iceberg is enough to create enough surrounding water pressure to balance against the entire weight of the iceberg.

Answer 3

Because water is one of the few substannces that expands when it turns into a solid, its volume increases compared to its density. That is, the molecules of water are closer together when they are liquid than when they are solid. As a result, ice is lighter than liquid water and floats. By the way, that's one of the strange things about water that makes life possible. If water were to contract and become more dense when it froze, ice would setle to the bottom of the oceans, and most of the water on earth would be solid.During the Summer, there wouldn't be enough heat to liquify enough water to allow the evolution of living things. Another thing about water that's amazing: it's a liquid. It shouldn't be. Hydrogen sulfide, which is, from a structural point of view, very similar, is a gas....and it's almost twice as heavy. Why then is water a liquid? The answer is found in hydrogen bonding. We take the observed properties of water for granted because it's so common and ubiquitous. Big mistake!Someone once said that one of the characteristics of genius is to look at the commonplace and be amazed; so don't take things for granted, and don't be afraid to ask "stupid" questions. I do....and have all of my life, and my test scores tell me I'm supposed to be a genius. Boy, I sure don't feel like one, and the number of things I don't understand are infinite! By the way, did you know that some infinities are bigger than other infinities? They are, and it can be proven.