You might try it yourself, using metal cups so they don't break, and being sure to put the same amount of water in each. I always forget to look at the glasses until they're both frozen. My own attempts to repeat this experiment have flopped so far. Francis Bacon (is that who you mean?) also wasn't much of a scientist. Aristotle made many mistakes, even on simple questions like how many teeth women have. I would be a little more cautious than you about authority, however. You're right to remind us that the common-sense result isn't always right. (published on ) Follow-Up #1: freezing and authority So, if you took a tiny bit of really cold water in a glass, and put it outside on a cold day in Alaska, it would freeze a lot faster than a big glass of hot water outside on a cold day in Georgia. Since it would be so much colder in Alaska, the glass of water there would freeze before yours. Imagine putting one outside on a really really cold day in Georgia, and having a friend in Alaska put one outside on the same day. If you put both of them in the freezer, the one that started out colder will freeze first.įor the third part, let's imagine that you have two glasses with the same amount of water in them, and the water is at the same temperature. Let's say you have two glasses, and you fill one with really cold water that has been in the refrigerator, and the other with really hot water from the sink. If you take two glasses, and fill one with a tiny bit of water, and the other about halfway, then put them both in the freezer, the one with less water will freeze first (you can try this at home, but I recommend using plastic cups and not glass ones).

Water actually freezes when it gets to 32 degrees Fahrenheit (0 degrees Celsius), but the time it takes to get there may be different. The answer to your question really depends on three things: how much water you have, how cold it is to start out, and how cold the things around it are.

Does hot water freeze faster