How do we really know that no two snowflakes are ever alike?
In: Planetary Science
Imagine everyone in the audience at a show taking out a coin, holding it with the heads facing up, and then flipping the coin. Whatever is the result of the coin flip, for everyone in the audience, in the order of their seats, is like a unique snowflake.
Maybe one side has all heads, the other has all tails, a mix on the second floor, just one head in the front row, etc. etc. The resulting pattern is a unique snowflake.
Now have everyone reset back to holding it with the heads facing up and flip the coin again. The odds of everyone getting the exact same result is nearly impossible. It is *potentially* possible, but the chance it will happen again is very, *very* low.
It’s the same with snowflakes. Ice particles form in predictable patterns, like flipping a coin. However, there are so many factors to consider when the ice is forming. It’s the same action, like flipping a coin, but there are so many tiny things that can change the outcome.
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