How do they know every single snowflake is unique?
In: 4
We don’t. There’s no reason there can’t be two identical snowflakes.
What we do know is that the process of forming snowflakes is so chaotic and has so many different conditions and there’s no many different shapes a snowflake can make that it’s basically impossible to find two that are identical.
Is called a chaotic system because even a tiny change in the initial conditions can result in an entirely different end state. Look up a double pendulum for example.
They aren’t. In fact, there has been significant research on the exact atmospheric conditions needed to replicate snowflakes. [here’s a video](https://youtu.be/ao2Jfm35XeE) on the topic.
But for all intents and purposes, there are so many variables that are all random, the odds of finding two identical snowflakes in the wild is essentially 0. It’s not a law, it’s just a statistical inevitability.
Kinda like rolling 1000 dice or something. Actually, there are so many ways to arrange a deck of 52 cards (52 factorial) that if you really thoroughly shuffle a deck, the odds are that never in the history of playing cards has there ever been a deck with the exact same arrangement of cards. That’s sorta the same as saying every shuffled deck of cards is unique.
they don’t, and they’re not. It’s an old fallacy that, since it’s a nice, comforting, flattering thought, turned into a (false) truism.
Youtube channel Veritasium has a fascinating video on snowflakes – best i’ve ever seen.
[https://www.youtube.com/shorts/WjCC4zAdRrk](https://www.youtube.com/shorts/WjCC4zAdRrk)
If clicking feels sketch, search “Why are snowflakes like this?”
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