The phenomenon where ice cubes made with tap water appear white while those made with boiled water appear transparent stems from the presence of impurities and dissolved gases in tap water. As water freezes into ice, these impurities become trapped, resulting in the cloudy appearance characteristic of tap water ice cubes. Conversely, boiling water prior to freezing removes these impurities, resulting in clearer ice cubes. Thus, the transparency of ice cubes is influenced by the purity of the water used in their formation.