The water bottle got fat
I froze the water, so why did it get fat?
Last night, I put the plastic bottle—half-full of water—in the freezer. When I opened the door this morning to take it out, my water bottle had gotten fat. What the heck! Why is this happening?!
It was definitely skinny when I put it in yesterday, but when I woke up, it was bulging out like it had a potbelly. When I touched it, it was packed full of ice and wouldn’t budge an inch.
I thought Fart was playing a prank. But Fart said he didn’t know either. Grandma said, “Think about why that happened,” and went to make soup. But no matter how hard I thought, I just couldn’t figure it out~ So I checked the JUMP app, and there it was: “The Secret of the Shape-Shifting Water.” Eek, this is it!
Ta-da! A little island floated right up in the middle of my room. Popo and his friends were standing on the grass, and rain was pouring down from the sky. Right inside my room!!
“What’s the difference between rain and snow?”
Popo raised his hand and lowered the temperature. Then, the rain swish-swish turned into snow. The grass turned white and the pond froze solid. This is the first secret of water.
Water is a master of transformation. It changes into three forms: ice, water, and steam.
I kept watching because I was so curious~ There was ice floating, a cup of water floating next to it, and even a kettle with white steam rising from it. All three are water. They’re the same water, just at different temperatures.
Purum put the ice in a beaker and started heating it slowly. When it reached 0 degrees, the ice melted smoothly into water, and when it reached 100 degrees, it started bubbling and white steam began rising. Hehe, it’s just like the kettle at our house!
Solid → Liquid → Gas
When ice melts into water, it’s called “melting,” and when water boils into steam, it’s called “evaporation.” When steam cools down and turns back into water, it’s called “condensation.” The names sound complicated, but the app shows each tiny water droplet, so I understood it right away.
This really surprised me. The water droplets inside the ice are holding hands and building a hexagonal house. Apparently, that house takes up more space than when it was just water. So, when water turns into ice, it actually gets bigger. When it melts back into water, they let go and clump together, and when it boils into steam, they scatter in all directions—poof!
But this is what really surprised me.
He showed me a huge rock and said they cut stone with ice!!
"People in the old days cut rocks with water."
A rock?! A boulder?! Just with water?!
Popo drilled a hole in the rock and poured water inside. Then, after waiting and waiting, the water froze and the rock cracked open with a snap! Ice is stronger than rock. Wow, liquid water actually becomes stronger.
Yikes! That’s why my water bottle got so fat!!
When water turns to ice, it expands, so even inside a tightly sealed bottle, it pushes its way out. If it could split a rock like that, my plastic bottle would have been a piece of cake. It wasn’t that the bottle got fat; it was the ice pushing against it from the inside.
This time, the mountains, the sea, and even the clouds all came into my room. As the sun rose, the seawater swished up into the air and turned into clouds. Those clouds drifted toward the mountains, and as they cooled, they fell as raindrops.
Then the rainwater became a river and returned to the sea. And then it rose again. Then it fell again. Then it rose again. They say this is the journey of water.
It just so happened that it was raining a little outside. I pressed my palm against the glass and picked out a single raindrop, slowly tracing it with my fingertip. I wonder where this raindrop came from? Could it have risen from the sea and traveled all the way here?
Hehe, the ocean has come to my window.
In the kitchen, the kettle was bubbling away on the stove. Just as I was about to go closer, Grandma said, “It’s hot! Watch from a distance!” and pushed me back a step. She said if the steam touches you, it really stings. So I stood right next to Grandma, keeping an arm’s length away from the kettle, and looked up carefully.
White steam rose up, and when it touched the cold bottom of the cupboard, tiny droplets formed. The water inside the kettle had flown up into the air and turned back into water. Right in front of my eyes. Using the term I learned from the app, this is called condensation.
So that’s why water droplets form on the outside of a glass when I pour cold juice into it. Water vapor that was invisible in the air turns back into water when it touches the cold glass. Water vapor is invisible, but it’s always been around us. I just found that out today.
So I told Banggu, “Hey, let’s try this too!” We had to use a plastic bottle! Glass bottles are dangerous because the ice can push against them and shatter. We filled a new plastic bottle about 70% full with water. I heard that if you fill it all the way, the ice might grow and burst through the lid. That’s why 70%!
Banggu stood next to me, holding the balloon tightly and watching. “Is this really going to get fat?” Pfff, skeptical Banggu. I told him, “Check it out tomorrow morning.”
Actually, I was even more curious. After all, this was the first time I’d ever seen ice grow with my own eyes.
Grandma handed me a cup with an ice cube in it, and it was floating there, making a clinking sound.
“Grandma, this ice might have been the ocean a long time ago.”
Grandma laughed and said, “What are you talking about, you little rascal?” As she laughed, the wrinkles around her mouth creased and smoothed out. I put a piece of ice in my mouth, letting it melt slowly, and leaned back against Grandma. Another piece clinked inside the cup.
My crown sparkled in the ice inside the cup. Grandma’s face, tilted slightly to one side, was reflected there too.
The best part of today was when Grandma and I talked about how this ice must have once been the ocean.
Want to see the power hidden in ice with your own eyes?
WAGZAK JUMP — Jump right into the world
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Frequently Asked Questions
Q. What is the minimum age for WAGZAK JUMP?
It is designed for children ages 4–12 (primarily elementary school students). The lesson on the states of water is at the 3rd–4th grade level.
Q. Can my child do the frozen plastic bottle experiment on their own?
You must use a plastic PET bottle. Glass bottles are dangerous because they can shatter as the ice expands. Fill the bottle with water only about 70% full. If filled to the brim, the expanding ice may cause the bottle to swell or push the lid off. After removing the bottle, we recommend placing it on a plate to prevent water from leaking out during thawing. When observing steam from the kettle, always do so with a guardian and stand at least an arm’s length away from the kettle—touching the steam can cause burns.
Q. What languages are supported?
It supports 30 languages, including Korean. You can switch the same lesson to a different language.
I’ll be back soon with another fun lesson. Best regards, Didi.