2026-04-26

The Mystery of the Giant Ice Patterns

Problem illustration

When you think of ice, you probably think of a cold cube in your drink. But scientists have discovered that ice can be much more mysterious! By using giant diamonds like a pair of super-strong pliers, they squeezed water so hard that it turned into "complex ice." While normal ice has a simple pattern that repeats after just a few molecules, these new forms—called Ice XXI and Ice XXII—have giant patterns that repeat over hundreds of molecules! Scientists even built a 3.4-kilometre-long laser tunnel to study these strange crystals. Learn more!

Wee Ones

This complex ice only forms when it is squeezed by giant diamonds. Is it likely or unlikely that you will find a piece of Ice XXI in the freezer in your kitchen?

Little Kids

The molecules in this ice form a pattern: Big, Big, Small, Big, Big. what comes next in the pattern?

Big Kids

A pattern in Ice XXII has exactly 304 molecules. If a scientist looks at half of that pattern, how many molecules are they seeing?

The Sky's the Limit

The laser tunnel where the scientists do their experiments is 3.4 kilometres long. If there are 1,000 metres in every kilometre, exactly how many metres long is the tunnel? (Hint: move the decimal point three places to the right!)