College Physics (4th Edition)

Published by McGraw-Hill Education
ISBN 10: 0073512141
ISBN 13: 978-0-07351-214-3

Chapter 14 - Conceptual Questions - Page 531: 3

Answer

Since the water at the surface is in contact with the air, the water at the surface freezes first.

Work Step by Step

The water in lakes and rivers freezes because the temperature of the air is cold. The water that is in contact with the air will freeze first as it takes time for all parts of an object to reach thermal equilibrium, when the whole object has the same temperature. Since the water at the surface is in contact with the air, the water at the surface freezes first.
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