Since I grew up in Texas, I have always been intrigued and totally confused by winter weather. Texans think they have a winter – hey, the temperature does drop to 50 degrees F – but when ice and snow comes, we have no idea what to do. We shut down schools. We shut down freeways. We basically go into apocalyptic panic mode.Moving to New York has not changed my fascination with winter; in fact, I am even more intrigued by it. Everytime I come across a patch of black ice, I stop to inspect it. When it snows, I wonder to myself, “How can every single flake be unique?” When I hear people coughing up what seems to be a mutant alien child from their lungs on the subway, I think, “Why do more people seem to get sick in the winter?” In homage to my ignorance, I am writing a multi-part series dedicated to the weirdness of winter.
Mystery #1: Is Every Snowflake Unique?
There are so many snowflakes in the world, so it's hard to imagine that none of them are identical twins. I found a really satisfying and scientific explanation at Caltech professor Dr. Libbrecht's website. Dr. Libbrecht explains that the probability of two snowflakes being identical at the molecular level is almost zero. The average snow crystal has around 10^18 (or one billion squared) water molecules in it, so it has a multitude of possible arrangements. Thinking about it in smaller terms, the number of configurations of six cheerleaders in a pyramid amounts to 6 x 5 x 4 x 3 x 2 x 1 = 720 different combinations - as long as the skinny cheerleaders can hold it together at the bottom. That's only six individuals. And with 10^18 individual molecules, the number of possible formations becomes mind-boggling.
Mystery #2: Does a Fireplace Make a Home Colder?
It sounds crazy, but having a fire in a fireplace can actually have a cooling effect in a house. Fire consumes the air around it, creating a pressure gradient. There's less air in the fireplace's room and more air in the surrounding rooms. To compensate for this difference, air from other rooms of the house and (unfortunately) leaks in the walls flows toward the fire and makes those rooms colder. In a way, cold air from outside is being pulled into the house to feed the fire. And instead of compensating for the cold drafts, most of the heat from the fireplace escapes through the chimney. So if you're looking for efficiency, the best thing to do is to seal air leaks and turn up the thermostat.
Mystery #3: Can Icicles Kill?
I remember talking to a girl in 3rd grade who told me that if she ever killed anyone, she would use an icicle as the murder weapon. That way, the evidence would simply melt away. I don't know where she heard that idea, but my response was in two parts: one, I slowly backed away from the girl who divulged this information to me, and two, I developed a fear of icicles. They may look innocent simply hanging from the eaves, but they really do look like they could seriously hurt someone. They are incredibly sharp and since they hang at least 15 feet or more in the air, they have a good amount of potential energy. Combining the formulas for potential and kinetic energy, if an 10 pound icicle drops 5 meters (around 15ft), it will hit the ground at a speed of over 20 mph. The force would be around 23 Newtons, enough to penetrate the skin. I wouldn't like any sharp object to fall on me at that speed with that force, especially if it were a particularly massive object.
It turns out that around 100 people in Russia die each year from icicles falling on them. I couldn't find the number of victims in the US, but here's a great article about it. Supposedly there's a Mythbusters episode about it, too.
My next entry will cover winter and the human body - why we seem to get sick more often in the winter, if we really lose all of that heat from our heads, and other weird winter stuff.
Mystery #1: Is Every Snowflake Unique?
There are so many snowflakes in the world, so it's hard to imagine that none of them are identical twins. I found a really satisfying and scientific explanation at Caltech professor Dr. Libbrecht's website. Dr. Libbrecht explains that the probability of two snowflakes being identical at the molecular level is almost zero. The average snow crystal has around 10^18 (or one billion squared) water molecules in it, so it has a multitude of possible arrangements. Thinking about it in smaller terms, the number of configurations of six cheerleaders in a pyramid amounts to 6 x 5 x 4 x 3 x 2 x 1 = 720 different combinations - as long as the skinny cheerleaders can hold it together at the bottom. That's only six individuals. And with 10^18 individual molecules, the number of possible formations becomes mind-boggling.
Mystery #2: Does a Fireplace Make a Home Colder?
It sounds crazy, but having a fire in a fireplace can actually have a cooling effect in a house. Fire consumes the air around it, creating a pressure gradient. There's less air in the fireplace's room and more air in the surrounding rooms. To compensate for this difference, air from other rooms of the house and (unfortunately) leaks in the walls flows toward the fire and makes those rooms colder. In a way, cold air from outside is being pulled into the house to feed the fire. And instead of compensating for the cold drafts, most of the heat from the fireplace escapes through the chimney. So if you're looking for efficiency, the best thing to do is to seal air leaks and turn up the thermostat.
Mystery #3: Can Icicles Kill?
I remember talking to a girl in 3rd grade who told me that if she ever killed anyone, she would use an icicle as the murder weapon. That way, the evidence would simply melt away. I don't know where she heard that idea, but my response was in two parts: one, I slowly backed away from the girl who divulged this information to me, and two, I developed a fear of icicles. They may look innocent simply hanging from the eaves, but they really do look like they could seriously hurt someone. They are incredibly sharp and since they hang at least 15 feet or more in the air, they have a good amount of potential energy. Combining the formulas for potential and kinetic energy, if an 10 pound icicle drops 5 meters (around 15ft), it will hit the ground at a speed of over 20 mph. The force would be around 23 Newtons, enough to penetrate the skin. I wouldn't like any sharp object to fall on me at that speed with that force, especially if it were a particularly massive object.
It turns out that around 100 people in Russia die each year from icicles falling on them. I couldn't find the number of victims in the US, but here's a great article about it. Supposedly there's a Mythbusters episode about it, too.
My next entry will cover winter and the human body - why we seem to get sick more often in the winter, if we really lose all of that heat from our heads, and other weird winter stuff.
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