What’s the difference between ice and snow? Aren’t they both frozen water?
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You are correct in the sense they are “frozen” water.
Snow flakes form around atmospheric condensation nuclei..basically a piece of dust, debris, etc. in the clouds. Once that process starts and the temp is right, the snowflake spreads on the path of least resistance, creating a unique, flat, but very brittle crystalline structure.
Ice, on the other hand, is formed by water molecules being set in a perfect crystalline structure. Its a beautiful site, molecularly. It also provides the tensile strength of ice. And hurts when you smack your face on it.
I’m assuming you have never seen snow irl or Else you wouldn’t be asking this but basically snow is frozen rain. It’s tiny particles of water that attack to eachother and then fall when they get heavy (the images you see online of snowflakes are Infact how snowflakes look! From afar it shimmer like glitter). Unlike rain though, they gently land on one another and don’t squish eachother because of air. So you get a kind of shaved ice consistency.
Ice is water that froze while it wasn’t moving, so it all froze together.
Snow is water that froze while it was moving, so it froze in tiny pieces.
Ice is water that froze while it wasn’t moving, so it all froze together.
Snow is water that froze while it was moving, so it froze in tiny pieces.
What’s the difference between water, and water poured through the blades of a fan? That’s the best analogue I can come up with.
What’s the difference between water, and water poured through the blades of a fan? That’s the best analogue I can come up with.
Same stuff, snow is just full of air. Structure is different, think of a graphite pencil and a diamond. Same stuff, different arrangement.
Ice is a frozen body of water, snow is frozen cloud. Mist, basically. Ice freezes in place. Snow freezes in the air and falls down.
Ice is much more dense and sturdy. Think of it like a comparison between rocks and sand. Snow is usually light and fluffy because the crystals spread out very far and there’s lots of air space in between.
Same stuff, snow is just full of air. Structure is different, think of a graphite pencil and a diamond. Same stuff, different arrangement.
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