Same reason a boat floats: the ice has a greater volume than liquid water, so it's less dense than the same volume of water. An object that is less dense than the water it displaces is forced upward, i.e., is bouyant. Young engineers at Old Dominion University are given first-hand experience in this effect in their annual Concrete Canoe contest.
Maybe I’m stupid, but I still don’t get it. Please help me our here if you would. Thank you.
Let’s say I make a canoe out of solid ice and a canoe out of solid concrete, then drill a 6” hole in the bottom of each.
Which one will meet with the bottom of the lake sooner?
The ice canoe will still float. The concrete one will sink faster than....well, a concrete boat with a 6” hole in the hull. I am aware of boats using concrete hulls.
Remember those little ice cubes that had hole in the middle? They floated.
I’m not trying to be sarcastic or mean, just realistic, IMHO. Please correct me if I’m wrong.