There is a saying that asserts that no two snowflakes are alike. I don't believe that at all. Nobody has catalogued every single snowflake that has ever fallen onto this planet throughout its existence.
Regardless of whether snowflakes are alike, I am more fascinated with how they build themselves with such symmetry. We can all agree that snowflakes seem to form along six stems with equal angular distance between them. Each stem having the same pattern as the other stems.
What mystifies me is how the water molecules all agree to form similar patterns along each stem. Seriously... just consider the following:
A water molecule is two hydrogen atoms connected to an oxygen atom. The water molecule floats around until the conditions are just right for joining with other water molecules and forming some crystalline shape.
Now, here's my question: how do the water molecules know what pattern to become in their local area to match what is happening on the other side of the emerging snowflake?
An average snowflake consists of around 10^18 molecules of water. Relative to the size of a water molecule, a snowflake is an immensely voluminous structure. How do water molecules at one end of the collection know what's going on at the other end? Is there some form of communication? If so, then how does it occur?
I would expect some random mis-mash of water molecules. However, there is incredible organization in a snowflake. Why always a six-sided figure? Do water molecules know how to count? Why not a snowflake with six stems of different patterns?
This has intrigued me for many decades of my life. I am still waiting for a satisfactory answer.
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Ooh I like this! Ok. So. I have 2 theories that just came to mind. What if water molecules have some sort of DNA attached to them that when matched with the right conditions, is activated into "orders" in the shape and complexity of the snowflake shape? Because this is a chemical process, the DNA might not have been "discovered" yet because it doesn't look like human DNA...
ReplyDeleteMy other theory is that it has something to do with the electrical charge in the air that, when combined with the proper temperature conditions, somehow makes the water molecules stick together in that beautiful tiny pattern.
I, of course, have no idea what I'm talking about, but it was fun to think about it! :)