Each liquid has a different density.
This means that although the volume is the same, the mass of each liquid is different.
Density = Mass/ Volume.
It can be affected by temperature and atmospheric pressure
The higher the density, the more compact the substance.
The density of water in grams per cubic centimeter is 1.00, however the density of ice is only 0.9182. Ice floats on water as it is less dense, however as the densities are quite close approximately 11% of the ice volume shows above the water surface.
Floating ice displaces the liquid water around it. If floating ice melts, there would be no visible change in global sea levels. However, if ice sheets over Greenland or
Antarctica melt there will be a rise in sea levels. Scientific predictions are quite varied, as the water volumes within land ice are difficult to model. This is an ongoing field of research.
Methylated spirits is predominantly ethanol, which has a density of 0.785. As ice has a greater density at 0.9182, it fell through the liquid to the bottom of the container.
Check out the different types of icebergs found in the world
Reference:
Brady, J. E. & Holum, J. R. (1993). Chemistry. The Study of Matter and Its Changes.
John Wiley & Sons, New York
Awlward, G. & Findlay, T. (1994). SI Chemical Data. 3rd ed. Jacaranda Wiley Ltd, Sydney.
