Hogan

Ok, waaaay off subject, but I've heard that their are no two snow flakes the same. I just went out for a smoke and observed my RX under about a foot of snow...after clearing about a foot off earlier today. Colorado is getting hammered tonight and I'm supposed to believe that in this whole state their is not a flake that matches one that is currently disgracing the hood of my baby? Urban legend? I figure with the brain power floating around this forum someone has an answer...I also figure this should be the last beer (no work tomorrow ya know)!
Ok, out to clear the car off. I just hate to see her like that!

Naegleria_Fowleri

A theory is a theory, and as most theories go, they won't ever be proven. You can't prove the Big Bang theory, can't prove most of Albert Einstein's theories, can't prove if there is or isn't a God, hell, we can't even prove whether gravity is a pushing or pulling force - the thing with most theories are, we either accept them as truth or we don't.

The snowflake theory is no different. I personally find it to be insanely hard to believe. It sounds to me like some little kid's grandpa was telling his grandkid a story and that was part of the story, and it spread like wildfire, but I know for a fact that snowflakes do come in an insanely large varieties of shapes as well.

In high school I was taught the theory as well by my chemistry teacher, and as to why the theory could be true, but still yet there has been more snow fallen just in my 22 years of life than humans that have ever existed, and we can't even have all humans look different (identicle twins).

defakto

Well, by the laws of probability,because it's a random event, eventually somewhere, two snowflakes will be the same. It's just highly unlikely.

Rx-7Doctor

iTrader: (13)

Come on guys, this is lounge material.

glosoli

^ yeah,it is.

Whizbang

i saw on some history or discover channel thing that mathematical it has to reproduce seeing the shape is bounded by 6 sides on all snowflakes due to the crystaline structure of frozen water and they only reach a maximum size. Meaning in the last few billion years, the same shape HAS to have developed many times over.

gonzz

We even had snow in Vegas 2 days ago.. It even stuck on the ground for 2-4 hours..

speedturn

iTrader: (1)

this doctor has devoted years to making high quality micro-photographs of snowflakes; they are beautiful

http://www.snowcrystals.com/

Sgt.Stinkfist

iTrader: (6)

i think its very immprobable too find a flake being exactly the same. first of all they would have to have the exact moleculer structure, down to the last atom and position/velocity of each electron, and have the exact same conditions, of which there are more variables than we could ever count for. its like finding another earth in the universe, w/ the same people, doing the same thing as here, at the same time. its possable through the laws of probability, though, w/ enough time.

Whizbang

not exactly. the number of variables related to finding another earth exactly like this one FAR FAR FAR FAR FAR FAR FAR FAR FAR FAR x10884584094 million times exceeded what it takes to make a snow flake. the molecular composition of snow make have changed slightly due to emissions and the like but its H2O that is freezing and forming the snowflake shape and water has defined crystaline shape. the variences from that shape comes from the varibales like wind, altitude, speed of formation, collisions, etc.

Sgt.Stinkfist

iTrader: (6)

true ,but i was using it as an analogy that we cant count for all the variables, like you have just proved by ending the list of variables w/ (ect.).but we seemed to forget about the impurities that the water collects before it can freeze. and either way, to even make the same flake it must have the same mass to make the same overall shape. a variance of one atom, in the millions a snow flake has, will change the size. i agree that the crystaline structure will be similar, just like all salt crystals are cube's, varying in size, but all cubes.
on a side note, this is where the discussion belongs,(every one know thats 1st geners are the smartest of all rotorheads )

Whizbang

I would bet that in the history of the earth, if you took all the snowflakes that ever fell, at least two snowflakes were exactly the same.

Sgt.Stinkfist

iTrader: (6)

now thats someting we will never know , but as i said before, anything is possable w/ time