Can snowflakes be identical? Under perfect conditions, these perfect, unique crystals can have a twin. Explore snowflakes in the great indoors of a laboratory experiment to see how carefully regulated conditions have busted the myth of special snowflake shapes.

Concepts

snowflakes, ice, water vapor, crystal formation, clouds, air pressure, humidity, air temperature

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Additional Tags

science

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Instructional Ideas

• Use the resource as an example of the relationship between pressure and temperature
• Get the class thinking by showing only the first part of the video, then have them explain what conditions the physicist must control to create identical snowflakes

Classroom Considerations

• For younger learners, a quick discussion of the properties of water will help them understand how flakes form

• This video is hosted on YouTube

Pros

• Time lapse sequences allow students to watch as a snowflake grows and changes
• Animations help illustrate the movement of water molecules at high altitudes as they react to changes in pressure, temperature, and concentration
  

Cons

• None

Common Core

SL.6.2 SL.7.2 SL.9-10.2