When water is heated from 0°C to 4°C, its density

When water is heated from 0°C to 4°C, its density

remains constant.
increases.
decreases.
first increases then decreases to its original value.
This question was previously asked in
UPSC CDS-2 – 2022
The correct answer is B) increases.
Water exhibits anomalous expansion between 0°C and 4°C. Unlike most substances whose density decreases upon heating (as volume increases), water’s volume *decreases* when heated from 0°C to 4°C. Density is mass per unit volume (ρ = m/V). Since the mass remains constant and the volume decreases in this temperature range, the density of water increases.
The density of water is maximum at 4°C (approximately 1000 kg/m³). Above 4°C, water behaves normally; its volume increases with temperature, and thus its density decreases. This peculiar property of water is crucial for aquatic life in cold climates, as lakes and rivers freeze from the top down, allowing aquatic organisms to survive in the denser, warmer water at the bottom.
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