Why do snowflakes have six sides?
Show answer & explanation
Answer: Water molecules bond hexagonally
Water molecules bond hexagonally ✓ — Correct! Water molecules bond at 120-degree angles due to hydrogen bonding. When ice crystals form, this angle creates six-fold symmetry. Each snowflake branch grows differently based on temperature and humidity it encounters—that's why each is unique!
Six is nature's lucky number — Wrong. Six isn't lucky—it's physics! Water's molecular bonding angle naturally creates hexagonal structures.
Wind creates six-sided patterns — Wrong. Wind doesn't create the six-sided shape. The structure is determined by water's molecular bonding angles.
More Weather & Climate questions
- Why can a small shift toward larger hail raise damage so much?
- Why do hail researchers simulate the paths individual hailstones take through a storm instead of just counting how many thunderstorms occur?
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- Why can one hailstone have both clear and cloudy ice layers instead of growing in one simple up-and-down path?
- Why is the coldest storm top not the best place for hail to grow?
- Why do supercells make 5-cm hail when ordinary storms usually cannot?