An essay describing why water/gallium expand when frozen.

Why Stuff Expands <Tab/>There is a reasonable explanation to the question of why water expands both when heated and cooled. Not only is the explanation reasonable, but the effects of this odd property have their own advantages and disadvantages as well. <Tab/>This process of expansion by cooling starts when the water temperature nears 4° C. The hydrogen atoms begin to line up into …

…room temperature. It also has a one of the biggest liquid ranges (range ≈ 30° - 2,300° C) and expands predictably in the temperature range of 30° - 500° C, which is important in making microthermometers used for high temperatures at cellular levels. <Tab/>In conclusion, the ability for something to expand when cooled has its advantages, and is not something totally unexplainable.