Hi guys! ^.^

Hi everybody! While surfing the net, i came across something quite interesting and wanted to share it with you all. Well, less talk. So, let's carry on! =D


Simon has often felt that life has dealt him the short end of the stick. The ____ by his classmates and schoolmates had become a daily affair. It was 9.45 am. The scene was set. The left aisle was occupied by a sea of boys ____ their food. To their right was a group of girls ____ away at their fizzy drinks. 


Simon ____ the entire canteen for any possible signs of danger. Convinced that there were none, he ____ into an indistinguishable corner to have his meal. Alas, the eye of the storm did not last. The customary banter that accompanied every recess as suddenly diminished to a deafening hush. The appearance of the notorious and ____ trio of Marcus, Beng Hwee and Chris silenced the crowd. 


An occasional _____ could be heard. The trio ____ towards their unwilling victim as Simon cowered in his seat. He could visualize his world _____ before his eyes.


"Ouch!" Marcus exclaimed. Someone had _____ a pebble and it struck the back of his head.


"Who did that?" Marcus _____ a reply to which he got no answer.


The winds of change were rising. The tables were turning. Could this be the prelude to a revolution? 


Time to test your English skills and try to fill in the blanks with your own words. Answers will be in the next post! ^.^ See you soon!!! =D

Why does Ice Float on Water?

Ever wondered why ice floats on water? Well, we've got to the bottom of this mystery! Read on to find out... 

Question: Why Does Ice Float?

There are two parts to the answer for this question. First, let's take a look at why anything floats. Then, let's examine why ice floats on top of liquid water, instead of sinking to the bottom.

Answer: A substance floats if it is less dense, or has less mass per unit volume, than other components in a mixture. For example, if you toss a handful of rocks into a bucket of water, the rocks, which are dense compared to the water, will sink. The water, which is less dense than the rocks, will float. Basically, the rocks push the water out of the way, or displace it. For an object to be able to float, it has to displace a weight of fluid equal to its own weight.

Water reaches its maximum density at 4°C (40°F). As it cools further and freezes into ice, it actually becomes less dense. On the other hand, most substances are most dense in their solid (frozen) state than in their liquid state. Water is different because of hydrogen bonding.

A water molecule is made from one oxygen atom and two hydrogen atoms, strongly joined to each other with covalent bonds. Water molecules are also attracted to each other by weaker chemical bonds (hydrogen bonds) between the positively-charged hydrogen atoms and the negatively-charged oxygen atoms of neighboring water molecules. As water cools below 4°C, the hydrogen bonds adjust to hold the negatively charged oxygen atoms apart. This produces a crystal lattice, which is commonly known as 'ice'.

Ice floats because it is about 9% less dense than liquid water. In other words, ice takes up about 9% more space than water, so a liter of ice weighs less than a liter water. The heavier water displaces the lighter ice, so ice floats to the top. One consequence of this is that lakes and rivers freeze from top to bottom, allowing fish to survive even when the surface of a lake has frozen over. If ice sank, the water would be displaced to the top and exposed to the colder temperature, forcing rivers and lakes to fill with ice and freeze solid.