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Sandia’s Z machine is not what you think it is. The title says the machine creates ice quickly. You’re probably thinking, “Wow, fast sub-zero temperatures!”, and you would be wrong. The Z machine actually heats up to temperatures hotter than the sun. “The three phases of water as we know them � cold ice, room temperature liquid, and hot vapor � are actually only a small part of water�s repertory of states,” says Sandia researcher Daniel Dolan. Under high pressure, water molecules have an easier time transferring to their solid form than retaining liquid values.
Using the Z machine, water molecules react by shrinking, much like every form of ice known, other than the customary ice cube, which expands. There are 11 different types of ice which occur at different temperatures and pressure, despite of popular belief. The reason that this is significant is because it could help better understand and predict weather on different planets, which have otherwise proven to be incorrect. — Andrew Dobrow
