Why does ice float (given that it is the same chemical make-up as its liquid form)?

In response to last week’s question, "Why does ice float (given that it is the same chemical make-up as its liquid form)?," my birthday bud Jon went on a useful tangent, "More interesting, though, is whether ice floats in scotch.  And what happens when you reduce the amount of scotch in the glass.  This is an experiment which needs to be conducted repeatedly in order to ensure accuracy."  

My dad's beach buddy Bob agreed that "alcohol keeps it afloat' to which my sailing friend Norm added, "Ice floats so you it can get in the way of sipping your drink, causing you to drip valuable bourbon all over your shirt. .  Also, ice floats so you can see it on the water and not hit it (unless you are the Titanic)."

My temple friend Richard observed, "Ice floats on water because it is less dense.  It seems that nature works in exactly the opposite manner as do large man-made organizations, in which the individuals who are most dense tend to rise to the top."   My sailing friend Mike concurred,  writing "One word. Science! (Cue Thomas Dolby) Water expands to a small degree when it moves from liquid to solid state and thus is slightly lighter than its liquid form."   My equestrian friend Royce added, "Probably due to the chemical composition of H2O and the buoyancy thereof, but do I look like someone who would know?"   The challenge from my friend Harvey is that few other compounds expand when it freezes.  Typically, the colder the item, the closer together the molecules are, thus more dense and heavier.

My writing and sailing friend Rich then pointed out the higher power's master plan, "So hockey can played outdoors on ponds."

Please send me your thoughts about this week's "things that make you go 'Hmmm' “:

Why are there half sizes for shoes?

Life  is too short for drama and petty things, so kiss slowly, laugh insanely, love truly, and forgive quickly.   

Hal

My Aunt MB  responded for the first time, reply to a prior week's question, "can you be short for your height?"  She wrote, "I don't like being short.  I once was able to reach the top shelf in my cupboards without stretching on my toes. Shrinking isn't fun however it is better than the alternative."
Congrats to my Syracuse U friends as our men's lacrosse team won the ACC Championship and the women's lax team finished second.  On to the national championship in two weeks.

PS:  Thanks to Demetri Martin, Steven Wright and George Carlin for the inspiration for Hmmm.  Stop by NicheLabs to see what else I'm up to.