Snowflakes Come In 35 Different Shapes
- 9 years ago
A chemistry teacher compiled a chart revealing the 35 possible design variations a snowflake can possess, revealing that it is possible for two snowflakes to look alike.
The age-old adage that no two snowflakes are alike may have just been proven wrong.
Chemistry teacher Andy Brunning utilized previously compiled data from researchers in Japan to create a chart showing the 39 different types of solid precipitation.
Of those, 35 were snow crystals or flakes. Also included were ice, sleet, a hailstone and a frozen hydrometeor particle.
Within those 35 varieties are 121 subtypes. In the 1930s only 21 of those subtypes had been identified but over the following decades the category grew.
Snowflakes can also be grouped into eight broader classifications, which include column and plane crystals.
How a snowflake ends up looking is heavily influenced by temperature and humidity, which vary by location. This is why some have a classic look, while others present as a more modern, hexagonal design.
Scientists confirmed the relationship between myriad environmental factors and form by producing artificial snow in a lab.
Even though each bit of frozen moisture may be different at a molecular level, shapes can likely repeat, as is suggested by Brunning’s chart.
Brunning features the graphic on his blog, 'Compound Interest.'
The age-old adage that no two snowflakes are alike may have just been proven wrong.
Chemistry teacher Andy Brunning utilized previously compiled data from researchers in Japan to create a chart showing the 39 different types of solid precipitation.
Of those, 35 were snow crystals or flakes. Also included were ice, sleet, a hailstone and a frozen hydrometeor particle.
Within those 35 varieties are 121 subtypes. In the 1930s only 21 of those subtypes had been identified but over the following decades the category grew.
Snowflakes can also be grouped into eight broader classifications, which include column and plane crystals.
How a snowflake ends up looking is heavily influenced by temperature and humidity, which vary by location. This is why some have a classic look, while others present as a more modern, hexagonal design.
Scientists confirmed the relationship between myriad environmental factors and form by producing artificial snow in a lab.
Even though each bit of frozen moisture may be different at a molecular level, shapes can likely repeat, as is suggested by Brunning’s chart.
Brunning features the graphic on his blog, 'Compound Interest.'