Steel ball – not sure. For starters, pure water doesn’t freeze at 0 Celsius, only impurities cause it to freeze, water in lab conditions can be cooled at atmospheric pressure to -10 degrees Celsius or less. So let’s assume the water at -5 Celsius is pure and in liquid form and that the steel ball doesn’t cause the water to change state instantly (maybe it is a perfect sphere). Whilst water is at it’s most dense liquid state under atmospheric pressure at 4 Celsius, water molecules at 25 Celsius, however, whilst being less dense will have greater energy. Surface area of the ball may also have an effect. For instance, a 4mm diameter ball may fall faster through -5 degree water than a 25mm ball but slower than a 25mm ball in 25 degree water.
This would be a difficult experiment to carry out (not impossible) but I’m sure someone with Maths less rusty than mine could easily calculate the acceleration of steel balls through water at different temperatures for various sizes of ball. It would be a great A-level physics coursework project
Steel ball – not sure. For starters, pure water doesn’t freeze at 0 Celsius, only impurities cause it to freeze, water in lab conditions can be cooled at atmospheric pressure to -10 degrees Celsius or less. So let’s assume the water at -5 Celsius is pure and in liquid form and that the steel ball doesn’t cause the water to change state instantly (maybe it is a perfect sphere). Whilst water is at it’s most dense liquid state under atmospheric pressure at 4 Celsius, water molecules at 25 Celsius, however, whilst being less dense will have greater energy. Surface area of the ball may also have an effect. For instance, a 4mm diameter ball may fall faster through -5 degree water than a 25mm ball but slower than a 25mm ball in 25 degree water.
This would be a difficult experiment to carry out (not impossible) but I’m sure someone with Maths less rusty than mine could easily calculate the acceleration of steel balls through water at different temperatures for various sizes of ball. It would be a great A-level physics coursework project