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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.
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CCSS:
Adaptable
Concepts
Additional Tags
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