Curious About Snow

PODCAST 110: CURIOUS ABOUT SNOW

RELEASE DATE:  NOVEMBER 8TH, 2020

CURIOUS KID PODCAST THEME MUSIC

D:  HELLO, AND WELCOME BACK TO THE CURIOUS KID PODCAST.  THE FALL IS MY FAVORITE SEASON BECAUSE I LOVE THE WEATHER THIS TIME OF YEAR.  WHERE WE LIVE, IT’S COLD OUTSIDE, BUT NOT YET FREEZING.  THE LEAVES ARE CHANGING COLOR BEFORE THEY FALL TO THE GROUND.  IT’S THE PERFECT TIME TO GRAB A BOOK TO READ AND A HOT CHOCOLATE (WITH MARSHMALLOWS OF COURSE).  ENJOY THE BEAUTIFUL WEATHER WHILE IT LASTS, BECAUSE A HARSH WINTER MAY BE JUST WEEKS AWAY.

O: MAILBAG!

D: MAILBAG!

“HI JACOB AND OLIVIA,

HELLO FROM CHICAGO!  MY DAUGHTERS MACKENZIE, DAGNY, AND I LOVE LISTENING TO YOUR PODCAST IN THE MORNING WHILE WE MAKE BREAKFAST AND GET READY FOR SCHOOL!  THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR DOING YOUR PODCAST AND ANSWERING SOME OF THE QUESTIONS THAT WE’RE REALLY CURIOUS ABOUT.  MACKENZIE HAD A FEW THINGS SHE’S CURIOUS ABOUT AND THOUGHT YOU MIGHT BE INTERESTED IN DOING A PODCAST ON.  IF YOU’RE UP FOR IT, WE’D LOVE TO HEAR ABOUT HOW CLOUDS MAKE SNOW, HOW GLASS IS MADE, OR WHAT IS AT THE CENTER OF EARTH!  THANKS AGAIN FOR THE EPISODES, WE’LL KEEP LISTENING!”

O:  THANKS MACKENZIE AND DAGNY.  YOU HAVE SOME GREAT SUGGESTIONS.

D:  HERE’S ONE MORE E-MAIL:

“BRYSON FROM CARLSBAD, NEW MEXICO IS CURIOUS ABOUT SNOW. WHY IS SNOW SO COLD?  WHY IS IT WHITE?  THANKS FOR YOUR PODCAST!”

O:  THANKS BRYSON!  WE ARE GETTING CURIOUS ABOUT SNOW THIS WEEK FOR OUR LISTENERS IN ILLINOIS AND NEW MEXICO.

D:  IT’S GOING TO BE SO MUCH FUN.  WHERE WE LIVE IN NEW JERSEY, WE DIDN’T GET HIT WITH MUCH SNOW AT ALL LAST YEAR.

O:  IT WAS A REAL BUMMER.  YOU DIDN’T HAVE TO TAKE THE SHOVEL OR SNOWBLOWER OUT ONCE.

D:  I KNOW.  HOPEFULLY, THIS WINTER WILL BRING US MORE SNOW.  I USUALLY GET REALLY EXCITED ABOUT SNOW, AT LEAST FOR ONE, TWO, MAYBE EVEN THREE GOOD SNOWSTORMS… THEN I KIND OF GET SICK OF IT.

O:  NOT ME.  THE MORE SNOW, THE BETTER.  LET IT SNOW!

D:  I’M SURE LOTS OF KIDS WOULD AGREE WITH YOU.  WHAT IS OUR CHILLY QUESTION OF THE WEEK?

O:  THE QUESTION OF THE WEEK IS, WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A SNOWSTORM AND A BLIZZARD?

D:  NICE ONE, OKAY, LET’S LEARN HOW SNOW IS FORMED.  SOME OF THIS WILL BE FAMILIAR FOR THOSE OF YOU THAT HAVE LISTENED TO EPISODE 101, CURIOUS ABOUT CLOUDS.

O:  SNOWFLAKES FORM WHEN ICE CRYSTALS COMBINE WITH SOMETHING LIKE DUST IN THE CLOUDS.

D:  SNOWFLAKES REQUIRE SOMETHING CALLED AN AEROSOL, WHICH CAN BE DUST OR SMOKE PARTICLES.  ICE CRYSTALS ATTACH TO THE AEROSOL, AND WHEN ENOUGH ICE CRYSTALS COME TOGETHER, A SNOWFLAKE IS CREATED.  

O:  AND, ONCE THE SNOWFLAKE HAS ENOUGH ICE CRYSTALS AND IS HEAVY ENOUGH, IT FALLS TO THE GROUND.

D:  IT IS MUCH COLDER UP IN THE CLOUDS THAN IT IS ON THE GROUND, SO OFTEN TIMES, SNOWFLAKES WILL FORM IN THE CLOUDS AND START TO FALL, BUT MELT INTO RAIN WHEN THEY ARRIVE AT WARMER TEMPERATURES BELOW.    

O:  THE TEMPERATURE GENERALLY NEEDS TO BE FREEZING FOR SNOW TO FORM IN CLOUDS. 

D:  FREEZING IS DEFINED AS 32 DEGREES FAHRENHEIT OR LOWER, WHICH WOULD BE 0 DEGREES CELSIUS OR LOWER.  AGAIN, IT CAN BE THAT COLD IN THE CLOUDS EVEN WHEN WE ARE ENJOYING A WARM DAY ON THE GROUND.  IN ORDER FOR THE SNOW TO REACH THE GROUND, THOUGH, THE GROUND TEMPERATURE SHOULD IDEALLY BE AT OR BELOW FREEZING.

O:  SNOW CAN OCCASIONALLY REACH THE GROUND WHEN TEMPERATURES ARE JUST ABOVE FREEZING.

D:  THE ABSOLUTE LIMIT IS 41 DEGREES FAHRENHEIT, OR 5 DEGREES CELSIUS.  AT THAT TEMPERATURE OR HIGHER, SNOW CAN’T REACH THE GROUND.  

O:  WHEN SNOW FALLS AT OR ABOVE THE FREEZING TEMPERATURE, IT IS USUALLY A THICKER, HEAVIER SNOW.

D:  SO, IF IT’S 30-SOMETHING DEGREES OUTSIDE AND SNOW IS FALLING, THE SNOWFLAKES WILL START TO MELT AROUND THE EDGES WHICH MAKES IT EASIER FOR THEM TO STICK TOGETHER.  THIS RESULTS IN BIG, HEAVY SNOWFLAKES THAT ARE GREAT FOR MAKING SNOWMEN.

O:  THEY ARE ALSO GREAT FOR SNOWBALL FIGHTS WITH MY BROTHER NOAH.

D:  THAT’S TRUE.  IT’S EASIER TO PACK A GOOD SNOWBALL WITH HEAVIER SNOW.  DON’T FORGET THAT NOAH’S ONLY 3 YEARS OLD WHEN YOU HAVE A SNOWBALL FIGHT WITH HIM.  BY THE WAY, THE RECORD FOR THE LARGEST SNOWBALL FIGHT WAS SET IN SEATTLE, WASHINGTON, WHEN 5,834 BRAVE PEOPLE CAME TOGETHER FOR AN EPIC SNOWBALL FIGHT IN JANUARY OF 2013.  

SO, LET’S SAY IT’S FRIGID COLD OUTSIDE AND THE AIR IS COLD AND DRY, YOU WILL WIND UP WITH POWDERY SNOWFLAKES THAT ARE LIGHT AND DON’T STICK TOGETHER.  THAT’S NOT IDEAL FOR SNOWMEN OR SNOWBALL FIGHTS, BUT WORKS PRETTY NICELY FOR SKIING.    

O:  BRYSON WANTED TO KNOW WHY SNOW IS WHITE.

D:  THAT’S A FANTASTIC QUESTION, ESPECIALLY BECAUSE WE KNOW THAT SNOW IS MADE UP OF ICE CRYSTALS, AND WE ALSO KNOW THAT ICE IS CLEAR.  AS A RESULT, YOU WOULD FIGURE THAT SNOW SHOULD BE CLEAR TOO. 

IN ORDER TO UNDERSTAND WHY SNOW APPEARS WHITE, IT HELPS TO UNDERSTAND HOW COLORS WORK.  LIGHT COMES IN WAVELENGTHS, AND OUR EYES SEE THOSE DIFFERENT WAVELENGTHS AS DIFFERENT COLORS.  WHEN LIGHT HITS AN OBJECT, THAT OBJECT CAN EITHER ABSORB OR REFLECT THAT LIGHT.  LET’S USE THE SKY AS AN EAMPLE.  

O:  THE SKY IS BLUE BECAUSE IT REFLECTS BLUE WAVELENGTHS AND ABSORBS THE OTHER COLORS.  

D:  THE BLUE WAVELENGTHS ARE REFLECTED BACK TO US FROM THE SKY, MAKING THE SKY APPEAR BLUE TO US.  

O:  WITH SNOW, ALL THE DIFFERENT COLOR WAVELENGTHS GET REFLECTED BACK.

D:  SNOW IS MADE UP OF SO MANY DIFFERENT SNOWFLAKES, MEANING THAT THE LIGHT THAT HITS IT JUST ENDS UP GETTING SCATTERED UNTIL ALL OF THE DIFFERENT COLORS ARE REFLECTED BACK.  WHEN ALL OF THE DIFFERENT COLOR WAVELENGTHS COMBINE AND REFLECT BACK, IT APPEARS WHITE TO US.   

O:  WHAT DO SNOWFLAKES LOOK LIKE?

D:  WHEN SNOWFLAKES FORM, THEY ALWAYS FORM AS A HEXAGON.

O:  THAT’S A SHAPE WITH 6 SIDES AND 6 CORNERS.  WHY IS EVERY SNOWFLAKE A HEXAGON?

D:  WELL, THAT’S A BIT COMPLICATED, AND INVOLVES SOME CHEMISTRY.  WATER IS MADE UP OF HYDROGEN AND OXYGEN.  THE CHEMICAL FORMULA FOR WATER IS H20, WHICH MEANS THAT EACH MOLECULE OF WATER CONTAINS 2 HYDROGEN ATOMS AND 1 OXYGEN ATOM.  IF YOU WERE TO LOOK AT A WATER MOLECULE, THE SMALLER HYDROGEN ATOMS ARE ATTACHED TO THE LARGE OXYGEN ATOM.  THOSE HYDROGEN ATOMS AREN’T EVENLY SPACED.  AN ACTUAL WATER MOLECULE KIND OF RESEMBLES MICKEY MOUSE’S HEAD, WITH THE LARGE HEAD BEING THE OXYGEN ATOM AND THE SMALLER EARS BEING THE 2 HYDROGEN ATOMS.  THE MOLECULE HAS THIS CONFIGURATION DUE TO DIFFERENT CHARGED IONS CALLED PROTONS AND ELECTRONS.  THE REASON I MENTION ALL THIS IS BECAUSE IT’S RELEVANT TO EXPLAIN HOW EACH SNOWFLAKE IS A HEXAGON.  ICE HAS THE SAME CHEMICAL FORMULA AS WATER, BECAUSE ICE IS JUST FROZEN WATER.  WHEN ICE CRYSTALS STICK TO AN AEROSOL, LIKE WE DISCUSSED AT THE BEGINNING OF THE EPISODE, THE MOST EFFICIENT FIT FOR THEM, BECAUSE OF THEIR SHAPE AND SIZE, IS TO FORM A HEXAGON.  

O:  IF ALL SNOWFLAKES ARE HEXAGONS, WHY HAVE I HEARD THAT EACH SNOWFLAKE IS DIFFERENT AND UNIQUE?

D:  THERE ARE SO MANY THINGS THAT MAKE SNOWFLAKES UNIQUE EVEN THOUGH THEY ARE ALL HEXAGONAL.  THE TEMPERATURE AND MOISTURE LEVEL IN THE CLOUD HAS AN IMPACT ON EACH SNOWFLAKE.  AS SNOWFLAKES DROP TO THE GROUND, THEY TAKE DIFFERENT PATHS, WHICH ALSO HELPS DETERMINE THE ULTIMATE SHAPE OF EACH SNOWFLAKE.  SNOWFLAKES HAVE 35 DIFFERENT SHAPE CATEGORIES, INCLUDING NEEDLE TYPE, PLATE TYPE, DENDRITE TYPE, SKELETAL TYPE, AND SPEARHEAD TYPE, BASED ON THE SHAPE OF THE BRANCHES THAT FORM AT THE SIX CORNERS OF THE HEXAGON THAT GIVE EACH SNOWFLAKE IT’S OVERALL APPEARANCE.  THE SIZE OF EACH SNOWFLAKE ALSO HELPS TO MAKE IT UNIQUE.  THE TRUTH IS, IT’S POSSIBLE TO HAVE TWO IDENTICAL SNOWFLAKES.

O:  SCIENTISTS SAY THE CHANCES OF 2 SNOWFLAKES BEING THE SAME ARE ONE IN 1 MILLION TRILLION.

D:  THAT GIGANTIC NUMBER IS A ONE FOLLOWED BY 18 ZEROS, SO YOU MAY NOT WANT TO GO OUTSIDE TRYING TO FIND 2 IDENTICAL SNOWFLAKES, BECAUSE IT’S GOING TO BE QUITE HARD.  OKAY, LET’S ANSWER THE QUESTION OF THE WEEK.  WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A SNOWSTORM AND A BLIZZARD?

O:  BLIZZARDS REQUIRE STRONG WINDS OF AT LEAST 35 MILES PER HOUR.  

D:  IN A SNOWSTORM, THE WIND CAN BE STILL, BUT A BLIZZARD REQUIRES STRONG WINS AND VISIBILITY OF LESS THAN A QUARTER OF A MILE FOR A MINIMUM OF 3 HOURS.  BLIZZARDS ARE QUITE INTENSE.  WELL, THAT’S A WRAP FOR THIS WEEK’S EPISODE.

O:  110 - SNOW.

D:  GREAT JOB, OLIVIA, AND GREAT JOB TO MACKENZIE, DAGNY, AND BRYSON FOR THE AWESOME SUGGESTION.  BEFORE WE SAY GOODBYE TO YOU UNTIL NEXT WEEK, WE WANT TO REMIND YOU THAT THANKSGIVING IS APPROACHING, AND WE ARE RAISING MONEY FOR NO KID HUNGRY, A NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATION THAT WORKS TO END CHILD HUNGER BY PROVIDING KIDS WITH THE HEALTHY FOOD THEY NEED.  PLEASE HELP US GIVE TO NO KID HUNGRY TO ASSIST THEM CARRY OUT THEIR AMAZING MISSION.  YOU CAN DONATE DIRECTLY TO NO KID HUNGRY USING THE LINK IN THE SHOW NOTES.  YOU CAN DONATE THROUGH THE CURIOUS KID PODCAST FACEBOOK GROUP.  EVEN IF YOU CAN’T DONATE TO NO KID HUNGRY DIRECTLY, CURIOUS KID PODCAST WILL DONATE $1 FOR EVERY ITUNES OR APPLE PODCASTS REVIEW WE GET THROUGHOUT THE ENTIRE MONTH OF NOVEMBER, AND WE WILL ALSO DONATE $1 FOR EVERY NEW AND EXISTING PATREON SUPPORTER WE HAVE AT THE END OF THE MONTH.  YOU CAN FIND LINKS TO OUR FACEBOOK PAGE AND PATREON PAGE IN THE SHOW NOTES.  WE WANT TO WISH A BIG HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO OLIVIA’S LITTLE BROTHER NOAH, WHO WILL TURN FOUR THIS WEDNESDAY.

O:  HAPPY BIRTHDAY NOAH, I LOVE YOU SO MUCH.

D:  NOAH IS AMAZING.  HE’S SUCH A SWEET BOY AND HE’S SO SMART AND FUNNY.  WE AFFECTIONATELY CALL HIM GOOBY.  HAPPY BIRTHDAY, GOOBY.  COME BACK NEXT WEEK, WHEN WE WILL GET CURIOUS ABOUT MERMAIDS FOR LISTENERS IN NEW HAMPSHIRE.  AS ALWAYS, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR LISTENING AND GETTING CURIOUS WITH US.