Question: Matthew's mother left a plastic bottle full of water in the trunk of their car. The temperature dropped below 0 degrees Celsius that night. When his mother opened the trunk the next afternoon, she discovered the water bottle had cracked. Explain why the water bottle cracked.
Reference answer: The water froze. Water expands when water freezes so the ice needed more space.

Student answer: Because the heat of the truck made the bottle of water crack.

Student answer: The water bottles molecules got huddled up and they get to the smallest point and they start looking for a place to get out of the cold. They cannot go up, down, or to the sides. So the push in one spot and break the container.

Student answer: Because when water freezes and it expands grows and if it is in a closed container it cannot take the pressure and will break the container.

Student answer: The water bottle cracked because once water temperatures get lower than 4 degrees Celsius, the water starts to expand and expand and expand and expand until finally, the water temperature is lower than 0 degrees Celsius, and the water bottle is getting too weak, so it cracks.

Student answer: When water reaches 0 degrees Celsius in temperature it freezes and expands. If there is not enough room for this growth the water will break its container.

Student answer: Because when the temperature gets to 4 degrees Celsius water starts to freeze when the temperature Hits 0 degrees Celsius the water starts to expand.

Student answer: The bottle cracked because it when something drops below 0 degrees Celsius it is going to freeze.

Student answer: Because when ice expands The ice could have of broke up bottle.

Student answer: It cracked because it got too cold and the water froze so it expanded and broke the density.

Student answer: Because trunks have holes and cold air comes from the outside when you are sleeping.

Student answer: The water bottle cracked because the bottle was full of water and it cracked open because the air was too cold, that the water just took up more SPACE.

Student answer: If it was below 0 degrees Celsius then that would be pretty cold if you let it out there too long it cannot hold on and will crack.

Student answer: It must have been really cold outside and the water bottle got cold.

Student answer: It froze. When water freezes it expands and plastic cannot hold it so it broke.

Student answer: It expanded.

Student answer: This happened because the water that was high contracted to the bottom so it had no more room to fit the extra water so it cracked.

Student answer: The bottle cracked because the water had to have room to expand, but it did not.

Student answer: The bottle cracked because when something freezes it expands therefore cracked the already filled bottle.

Student answer: The water bottle cracked because when water is frozen it expands.

Student answer: The water froze over night and when water freezes it expands.

Student answer: The water bottle cracked because the air was so cold that the bottle could not stay together.

Student answer: The bottle crack because it got so cold since it dropped below 0 degrees Celsius and the water got so cold the bottle could not hold it and it cracked.

Student answer: The water cracked because it became too cold.

Student answer: The water bottle cracked because ice expands when frozen. The water bottle did not have enough room for the expanded ice.

Student answer: The water bottle cracked because it gets cold.

Student answer: The water bottle cracked because when water is frozen it expands and water freezes when it is 0 degrees Celsius 32 degrees Fahrenheit.

Student answer: The water froze to ice which made it expand so the bottle cracked.

Student answer: The water bottle had cracked because when you freeze water it expands. The reason for the water bottle to crack was the ice expanded too much for the container.

Student answer: The water bottle cracked because it was getting hot.

Student answer: Because the ice expands so the bottle cracked.

Student answer: The bottle cracked because when water freezes it expands so the plastic was so soft that water expanded so much the bottle cracked.

Student answer: The bottle cracked because if it is filled up to the to the water turns into ice and the ice is so strong it broke the bottle.

Student answer: The water bottle cracked because the water inside it was cooled enough to crack the water bottle.

Student answer: Because when you freeze water it will go up.

Student answer: It is like chapped lips. If your lips get so cold and chapped they will crack. If a water bottle gets so cold and froze it will crack.

Student answer: The water bottle cracked because the water turned to ice. The ice expanded so the water bottle cracked.

Student answer: The water expanded.

Student answer: Since that night it was probably cold if it cracked then it expanded.

Student answer: The water bottle cracked because of when the water froze it expanded.

Student answer: Because if you put it in, it would crack because there is no air and it is hot in the trunk.

Student answer: The water bottle cracked because it probably froze because it was so cold that night and it made it crack.

Student answer: The bottle cracked because it was below 0 degrees Celsius which is very cold. Coldness makes things dry and crack.

Student answer: It cracked because it expanded so much it could not hold all the ice in.

Student answer: Because the freezing water expanded so that is why it broke the water bottle.

Student answer: Because it expanded.

Student answer: Because the temperature dropped below 0 degrees Celsius and the water in the water bottle froze and that is why the water bottle cracked.

Student answer: Unknown.

Student answer: It expanded out beyond the rim.

Student answer: Whenever water freezes, and turn into ice, it expands.

Student answer: Because when water freezes it expands so the ice pushed the water bottle and cracked.

Student answer: Because the water froze and expanded and broke the water bottle.

Student answer: Because when water freezes the water contrasts.

Student answer: Because water freezes at 0 degrees Celsius, it gets lower. Then it is like it tries to come out so there is a lot of pressure.

Student answer: Ice expands instead of contracts.

Student answer: Because when water is frozen it expands which makes more water than the bottle can hold.

Student answer: Because 0 degrees Celsius is freezing and the water turned to ice and the bottle cracked because ice takes up more room than water.

Student answer: When water freezes it expands.

Student answer: Because the car got too cold so the water froze then the water bottle cracked.

Student answer: Because the water froze, expanding and causing the bottle to crack.

Student answer: Because 0 degrees Celsius is the freezing point of water. When water freezes it expands. The water bottle cracked because the ice needed more room than the water.

Student answer: Because, when water freezes it expands.

Student answer: The water froze and expanded and pushed on the side until it cracked.

Student answer: 0 degrees Celsius is 32 degrees Fahrenheit and it is 32 degrees Fahrenheit the water froze and when water freezes the ice expands.

Student answer: Because if you leave a cup or bottle of water outside when it is 0 degrees Celsius it will crack.

Student answer: The bottle get so cold and froze that it cracked the plastic bottle.

Student answer: Because the water in the water bottle froze and it expanded and it did not have enough room, so it cracked.

Student answer: Because at 0 degrees Celsius water freezes, when water freezes, it expands or gets bigger, in this case too big for the container causing it to crack.

Student answer: Because when water drops below 0 the water expands. So the water expanded so much it made the water bottle crack.

Student answer: It cracked because the bottle was full and just like if you leave a pop can in the freezer too long it will burst.

Student answer: It cracked because solid ice expands. It got so cold the water turned to ice so the bottle cracked.

Student answer: Because it was so cold it cracked.

Student answer: The bottle cracked because water expands when it hits the freezing point.

Student answer: Because when the temperature is below 0 degrees Celsius, water freezes and expands the water in the water bottle froze and expanded. When the water bottle could not hold it any more, it cracked.

Student answer: It was cold outside.

Student answer: When water is frozen it expands and that is why the water bottle cracked. PS. It has happened to my dad.

Student answer: The bottle cracked because of how cold the water was cold water cracks plastic.

Student answer: Because the water turned to ice and the ice need space to get cold that night.

Student answer: Because when the bottle is full and the temperature drops. The water expands.

Student answer: Because the bottle stays in there a long time.

Student answer: Because it froze inside the car and then it did not have much air to use so it cracked.

Student answer: Because when the temperature is below 32 degrees Fahrenheit water will freeze. And when water freezes it expands. That is why the bottle cracked.

Student answer: Because it is really really really hot in cars and cars are hot.

Student answer: Because the water probably froze and frozen ice expands.

Student answer: The ice expanded because it.

Student answer: First it was the water bottle and then since it was so cold it froze and cracked. Because it was cold.

Student answer: Because when water burns into ice it bulges and creates more volume.

Student answer: When the temperature is cold 0 degrees Celsius the bottle is cold.

Student answer: Because it was getting so cold that it cracked.

Student answer: Because it turned into ice and ice expands.

Student answer: Because it got below the freezing point and it froze and it expanded and the bottle broke open.

Student answer: When water freezes it expands.

Student answer: The water bottle cracked because the water in the cup got frozen and expanded which broke the cup.

Student answer: Because it get too cold.

Student answer: Because the trunk is 0 degrees Celsius in there so it broke the bottle.

Student answer: Too much pressure.

Student answer: Because the water turned into ice and all the atoms spread out and broke the bottle.

Student answer: The water freezes and the ice's molecules spread and made it crack.

Student answer: It froze and it was less dense because it need more space so it needed to break because it did not have no more space to go.

Student answer: The bottle cracked because when it freeze it expands too. So the bottle was getting pushed so it popped and cracked.

Student answer: Because maybe it was too cold and the water contract which make the water was too cold and crack.