Myth buster: No two snowflakes are alike? Very likely, but it's hard to prove (2024)
Snowflakes are like fingerprints; as the saying goes, no two are alike. Even identical twins, who have the same DNA, have unique fingerprints. So how is it possible that every snowflake is unique when so many — analmost unfathomable number — exist?
It may seem like this is a myth that would be easy to bust, but it is true. No two snowflakes are alike. Or at least they probably aren't. Because of the sheer number of snowflakes that fall every winter — 1 septillion — it would be nearly impossible to prove that no two snowflakes are identical, according to the Library of Congress.
What's a septillion, you ask. It's a 1 followed by 24 zeros.Another way to think of it is that 1 septillion is the equivalent of a trillion trillion. No matter how you look at it, that's a lot of snowflakes.
However,because of how they form and are influenced by atmospheric conditions, scientists agree it is highly unlikelyidentical snowflakes exist.
Snowflakes start to form when water vapor condenses around a tiny particle of dust high above Earth, as far as 6 miles above the ground, National Geographic reports. These newly evolved particles then crystallize. These snowflakes or snow crystals are very sensitive to their microenvironments, which influences their appearance.
One factor impacting the shape and appearance of snowflakes is temperature. At temperatures between 27 degrees Fahrenheit and 32 degrees Fahrenheit, snowflakes are formed like six-sided plates, National Geographic reports. When it's a few degrees colder, the flakes have a needle form. At even colder temperatures, snowflakes take on a column form, then a fernlike star shape at even colder temperatures.
Humidity also plays a role. In drier air, flakes tend to be flatter, while more humid air often results in more growth at the tips, corners and edges of the crystals. Snowflakes cangrow as more water molecules cluster together on the surface of the existing snow crystal or flake. The more water vapor there is, the more intricate and faster growing snowflakes can be, according to National Geographic.
And because snowflakes are so sensitive to temperature, they often change shape as they fall to the ground, according to the Library of Congress. As a result, it would be nearly impossible for two snowflakes to experience the same history of development, making it virtually impossible for snowflakes to be identical.
It's widely accepted by researchers and scientists that no two snowflakes are alike, but that may only be true of the final product,National Geographic reports. At their earliest stages — when water vapor condenses around a dust particle and then crystallizes — snowflakes are simple, six-sided prisms.
Most snowflakes will branch out, grow or merge with other flakes as they fall to the ground, but it's possible that asnowflake could retain its original shape if it stays in the sameatmospheric conditions — temperature, humidity and the like — the entire time it falls to Earth.
If that were to happen, then it's possible that two snowflakes could be identical, or at least nearly identical. But remember: 1 septillion snowflakes fall every winter, so the odds of finding a snowflake's perfect match are, as they say, slim to none.
The probability that two snow crystals (a single ice crystal
ice crystal
Ice crystals are solid ice in symmetrical shapes including hexagonal columns, hexagonal plates, and dendritic crystals. Ice crystals are responsible for various atmospheric optic displays and cloud formations.
) or flakes (a snow crystal or multiple snow crystals stuck together) will be exactly alike in molecular structure and in appearance, is very minute. And to prove otherwise would not be easy.
The probability that two snow crystals would have exactly the same layout of these molecules is very, very, very small. Even with 1024 crystals per year, the odds of it happening within the lifetime of the Universe is indistinguishable from zero. Thus at some very pure level, no two snow crystals are exactly alike.
Psalm 147:16 – “He gives snow like wool; he scatters frost like ashes.” Reflection: Just as God scatters snow and frost in various forms, He also creates each snowflake differently. This verse emphasizes God's creativity and attention to detail, showcasing His artistic nature.
The Snowflake Theory simply states that some situations are so complex that no standard solutions exist for those situations. Just like no two snowflakes look the same, no two businesses are the same. No two people, no two projects and no two cases are exactly the same.
The notion that no two snowflakes are alike was put forth by Wilson Bentley, a meteorologist from Vermont who took the first detailed photos of snowflakes between 1885 and 1931.
As a Christian celebration, Christmas celebrates the incarnation of Jesus, who according to Christian belief atones for the sins of humanity; so, in European and North American Christmas traditions, snowflakes symbolize purity.
Did you know that snow is mentioned in the Bible? There are verses that tell us that when Jesus washes away our sins, we become whiter than snow. (Isaiah 1:18; Psalm 51:7) Then there are verses about Naaman and Miriam having leprosy (a symbol of sin) as white as snow.
The short answer is yes, every snowflake really is different from one another. You might find some that are exceedingly similar (particularly at the beginning of a flake's development) but fully formed snowflakes are indeed structurally different, if only by tiniest of degrees.
Sometimes the branches of stellar crystals have so many sidebranches they look a bit like ferns, so we call them fernlike stellar dendrites. These are the largest snow crystals, often falling to earth with diameters of 5 mm or more.
Plates sometimes grow as truncated triangles when the temperature is near -2 C (28 F). If the corners of the plates sprout arms, the result is an odd version of a stellar plate crystal. These crystals are relatively rare. Surprisingly, no one knows why snow crystals grow into these three-fold symmetrical shapes.
And some of them are really odd. The graphic shows 39 categories of solid precipitation (including 35 different kinds of snowflakes), which can be further subdivided into 121 subtypes.
Many people assume you need a microscope or expensive photographic equipment to see the shapes of snow crystals. In fact, you can very often see a lot of detail with the naked eye – just look carefully as they fall on your gloves or coat and you'll be surprised.
The ice crystals that make up snowflakes are symmetrical (or patterned) because they reflect the internal order of the crystal's water molecules as they arrange themselves in predetermined spaces (known as “crystallization”) to form a six-sided snowflake.
A bit of snowflake watching may turn up some 12-sided snowflakes, as these occur along with the normal 6-sided variety. They're not real common, but you can spot them if you look. Some snowfalls bring quite a few twelve-siders, although no one really knows what weather conditions are best for making them.
"It is challenging to forecast snow amounts due to the snowflake growth process. Sometimes you do get large snowflakes and you get additional snow than what is being forecast," he said.
Introduction: My name is Neely Ledner, I am a bright, determined, beautiful, adventurous, adventurous, spotless, calm person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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