Can Moving Water Freeze? - Holiday Question

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the question of whether moving water can freeze, particularly in the context of a jar of water being shaken in a freezer set at 0 degrees Celsius. Participants explore the effects of agitation on the freezing process and whether the freezing point of water is influenced by its movement.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Technical explanation
  • Debate/contested
  • Conceptual clarification

Main Points Raised

  • One participant suggests that shaking the jar increases the water's temperature, potentially affecting the freezing process.
  • Another participant argues that if the jar is moved at a constant speed, the system remains undisturbed, implying that the water would freeze.
  • A different participant questions the role of drag force in fluids and its effect on freezing when the water is moving at a uniform speed.
  • One participant notes that vigorous shaking could lead to a different freezing pattern, suggesting that the water might turn to slush before solidifying, although the overall freezing time may not differ significantly from an undisturbed setup.
  • A participant shares a personal experience with supercooled water, describing how a bottle of water remained liquid at very low temperatures until touched, prompting a discussion about supercooling.
  • Another participant provides a link to an explanation of supercooling, indicating that the phenomenon observed in the bottle is related to this concept.
  • A participant proposes a simplified equation to describe the relationship between kinetic energy from shaking and the freezing process, although they disclaim their expertise in physics.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express differing views on the effects of shaking on freezing, with some suggesting it may increase temperature and others proposing that it does not significantly alter the freezing time. The discussion includes competing ideas about the influence of movement on the freezing point and the phenomenon of supercooling, indicating that no consensus has been reached.

Contextual Notes

Participants acknowledge various factors that could influence the freezing process, such as the degree of agitation, the shape of the jar, and the amount of water present. There is also mention of the complexities involved in measuring the exact moment of freezing, which remains unresolved.

InFiNitY1
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Hi

Its the holidays and i was just thinking if you have a jar with some water in it and you put it in a freezer say 0 degrees and the jar is constantly being shaken rapidly would the water freeze up over time? or simply if a body of water is moving does the freezing point decrease in proportion of how fast the water is moving?

thanks
 
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well...
as I see it , when you shake the jar you increase the water`s temperature.
for the second part of the question,by moving the jer at a constant speed the system is undisterbed(no extra forces) and thus the water will freeze.
 
Belick, I have a doubt, does Drag force in fluids act inbetween the particles of same fluid. In that case the body is moving with uniform speed nullifying the Drag force.
 
Depending on how vigorously you shake it (and considering other turbulence factors, such as the shape of the jar and amount of water in the jar vs. empty), you would increase the temperature a little bit. I'm not sure how much, or whether it would be a significant amount.

What would more likely happen is that the water would freeze in about the same length of time (or a little longer) as an undistrurbed setup.

But, it would freeze differently. The water would start turning to slush rather than ice, like in a tray. It would appear to stay liquid longer, but that's really because you are forcing all the water to cool before any of it solidifies. (That's how you make ice cream).

The shaken jar would ultimately be frozen about the same time as an undisturbed jar but it would be hard to verify this, as it would be difficult to pin down exactly when all the water is frozen in each sample.
 
weird Frozen Bottle

Recently it was cold as all get out here (Chicago). I think it was around -10F. What happened to me was that I left a bottle of Aquafina in the car. I went and got in the car and noticed the bottle. I noticed it was still liquid. I touched the bottle and it froze over the course of a 2 to 3 seconds starting from the point where I touched it. Anyone know what this is called. I vaguely remember hearing about this in the past but can't remember what I'm looking for. I searched for freezing water and shock and came up with this thread.
 
InFiNitY1 said:
Hi

Its the holidays and i was just thinking if you have a jar with some water in it and you put it in a freezer say 0 degrees and the jar is constantly being shaken rapidly would the water freeze up over time? or simply if a body of water is moving does the freezing point decrease in proportion of how fast the water is moving?

thanks

Would this not be a simple equation? Each time you "shake" the jar, you add a certain amount of kinetic energy (k). If k < avg (k2) of freezer then the water will freeze. If k is larger than k2 you will end up thawing your freezer instead.

Disclaimer: I'm no physicist.

k
 

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