Once it was said that in every drop of rain the whole world is reflected. In each snowfish, the beauty and harmony of nature appear in front of us. So we decided to get acquainted the children with a beautiful and amazing natural scope - crystallography, remembering the time when he was children themselves, we admired bizarre carved and lace crystallines on the mittens.
This winter in the camp Nanocompwe will catch our children, taking pictures, study and independently grow snowflakes and other crystals!
We hope that our experiments on cultivation snowflakes in the laboratory will be as successful and we will be able to make their raster videos. Below are rollers with satellite shooting of the growth of the snowflake crystal for 70 minutes, made by the professorLibbrecht.
Even considering snowflakes with a naked eye, it can be noted that none of them repeats the other. It is assumed that in one cubic meter of snow there are 350 million snowflakes, each of which is unique. There are no pentagonal or seven-chicken snowflakes, they all have a strictly hexagonal shape (although Soviet artists were forced to draw five-pointed snowflakes on posters). Full of ideal harmony of the design of snow crystals have been of interest to people for many years.
One of the first who drew attention to the snowflake was Johann Kepleler., famous astronomer and opener of the laws of motion of the planets.
In 1611, the researcher issued his treatise "New Year's gift. About hexagonal snowfish, "in which, however, explained the form of crystals by the will of God. This study can be considered the first in history by working on the study of snow crystals. Kepler wondered why the crystals always have the form of the right hexagon. He explained this phenomenon with a dense arrangement of spheres that form hexagonal the structure of the crystal.
Kepler first became interested in the nature of the symmetry of snowflakes, but could not explain it. 300 years passed before scientists were able to answer the question made by Kepler. This became possible due to the opening of the radioschrystallography.
Intercepted the relay ice stick (although, in our case, it was most likely a snowflake) Rene Descartes,philosopher and mathematician. It was he who first described in detail the shape of snow crystals - as well as it could be done without the help of a microscope. In his writings, he wrote that snowflakes are similar to roses, lilies and wheels with six teeth. Its detailed notes, dated 1635, contained descriptions of rare forms of snowflakes - 12-coal and column. Especially mathematics struck the snowflakes found by him in the middle of the snowflakes "tiny white point, for sure it was a trace of a circular leg, which was used to outline her circumference."
The basis for the formation of snowflakes, its tiny kernel is ice or foreign dust in the clouds. Water molecules chaotic moving in the form of water vapor pass through the clouds, then with the temperature they lose and speed. More and more hexagonal water molecules joins the growing snowflake in certain places, giving it a distinct form. At the same time, the convex sections of snowflakes grow faster. So, a six-willed star grows from the original hexagon plate.
In 1665. Robert Hukhe released a huge volume called "Micrography". The work included the image of everything that the author could see due to the largest invention of that time - microscope. In this album there were numerous photos of snowflakes, on which the absolute symmetry and the correct shape of the snow crystals are clearly visible. This discovery has changed the ideas of snowflakes.
The following was Wilson Bentley (1865-1931) - American farmer who was engaged in photographing snow crystals. In his collection of 5,000 pictures, of which more than 2000 were published in 1931 in its famous monograph "Snowy crystals". The book is published by additional circulations to this day.
Trailer for the 60 minute film W. Bentley "Snowflakes in motion."
Ukichiro Nakhai called the snow "Letter from Heaven, written by secret hieroglyphs." He became the first scientist who managed to create a systematic doctrine of snow crystals. It has become a huge breakthrough in understanding the nature of the snow.
Napaiya, in 1932, was appointed professor at Hokkaido - the North Island of Japan in 1932. It was not possible to carry out nuclear research in a new place, but the attention of the scientist attracted snowflakes - good, in the "experimental material" on the cold Hokkaido lack was not.
Unlike Bentley, the Japanese photographed and studied all the crystals, including not very beautiful and asymmetrical. Thanks to persistent work and a scientific approach to work, Naisma managed to compile a detailed catalog of snowflake types.
The real scientific triumph of Nakhaya was the cultivation of artificial snowflakes in a given conditions. This made it possible to determine the patterns between the shape of snow crystals and the medium of their formation.
The result of several years of work of the scientist was the work "Snowy crystals: natural and artificial". First published in 1954, the book comes out in our days. It discloses a fascinating scientific study, which began practically from nothing, and ended attentive study and detailed classification of snowflakes - an impressive natural phenomenon.
Crystallography is currently actively developing in connection with the needs of electronics and solid physics - in particular, the properties of semiconductors used in our daily electronic devices, largely depend on the characteristics of the crystals used in them.
Another step in the study of the properties of the most famous natural crystals - Snowflakes - made professor physics Kenneth Libbrecht (Kenneth Libbrecht) from the California Institute of Technology. In the Librecht Libbrecht Laboratory, snowflakes are grown artificially. "I'm trying to figure out the dynamics of the formation of crystals at the molecular level, the professor comments. - This is not an easy task, and ice crystals hide a lot of secrets. "
Snowflake is a complex symmetric structure consisting of ice crystals collected together. The "assembly" options are still failed to be found among the snowflakes of two identical. Studies conducted in Libbrecht's laboratories confirm this fact - crystal structures can be painted artificially or observed in nature. There is even a snowflake classification, but, despite the general laws of construction, snowflakes will still be a little different from each other even in the case of relatively simple structures.
To study the characteristics of Snowflakes, Professor Libbrecht since 2001 began making photos of the snowflakes in the natural way and conduct their comparative classification. The structure and appearance of snowflakes, as it turned out, depend on where they were observed. According to Libbrecht, the most beautiful and sophisticated snowflakes fall out where the climate is severe - for example, in Alaska, but in New York, where the climate is softer, the structures of snow crystals are much simpler.
Apparently, the scientist has never been to Russia, then he would have stated with absolute confidence that it could not be more beautiful than the Russian snowflakes.
Classification of snowflakes according to similar type:
Prism There are 6-coal plates and thin columns with a 6-coal cross section. In prisms, tiny sizes, they are almost not visible to the naked eye. The verge of prisms, very often decorate various complex patterns.
Needles - Thin and long snow crystals, they are formed at a temperature of approximately -5 degrees.
When considering, they look like small bright hairs.
Dendriti - Or weaving, have pronounced branching thin rays. More often are large crystals, they can be seen with the naked eye. The maximum size of the dendrite can reach 30 cm in diameter.
12-ray snowflakes - Sometimes columns with tips are formed with a turn of plates relative to each other by 30 degrees. When rays grow from each plate, the crystal with 12 rays is obtained.
Double plates - This type, the columns with tips have a short vertical part. The plates grow very quickly, from water vapor one of the bottom flashes the second and as a result grows larger in size.
Hollow columns - inside columns with a hexagonal cross section, cavities are formed. Interestingly, the form of cavities is symmetrical relative to the center of the crystal. It is necessary to build a lot to consider the collapse in small snowflakes.
Fern dendrites - This type is one of the largest. The branches of star dendrites grow thin and very frequent, as a result, the snowflake begins to be like a fern.
Spatial crystals - It happens that several snow crystals in various directions begins to grow from the microscopic drop. And after they can acquire a complex form. Such fascinated crystals can decay a few simple snowflakes.
Triangular crystals - Such snowflakes are formed at a temperature of about -2 degrees. In fact, it is hexagonal prisms, some of the sides of which are significantly shorter than others. But on the faces there may be rays.
Stakes with tips - Such snowflakes can rarely see. The crystals begin to grow in the form of columns, but after the wind transfers them to the zone with other weather conditions, and then the plates begin to grow at their ends.
Star-like snowflakes - Such snowflakes are widespread. These are thin lamellar crystals, in the form of stars with six rays. More often they are decorated with symmetrical various patterns. Such snowflakes appear at -2 ° C or at -15 ° C.
Plate with sectors - This is a star-like lamellar snowflake, but with particularly noticeable ribs, which indicate the corners between the adjacent faces of the prism.
Snowflake is one of the most amazing natural creations. If a person wanted to create something like that, he would have to be very trying. During the snowfall, the billions of small crystals will settle the land, and it is worth noting that among them there are no same, they are all different.
What does the form of snowflake depend on?
The shape of the snowflake is depending on the temperature that contributed to its formation. Everyone knows that the clouds that are high, will be colder than below. So, how the temperature on the shape of the snowflake affects:
- -3 ... 0 ° C - hexagon flat;
- -5 ...- 3 ° C - needle crystal;
- -8 ...- 5 ° C - Prism Column;
- -12 ...- 6 ° C - a flat hexagon again;
- -16 ...- 12 ° С - star snowflakes.
As the growth of the snowflake becomes hard, which makes it fall to the ground. In the process of falling, its form changes. If, dropping, the snowflake rotates, then it will reach the ground perfectly symmetrical. And if the crystalline falls sideways, then as a result, it will lose its shape. On the summer, snowflakes can stick together with each other and form whole flakes from snow. Each of them may contain up to two hundred crystals. It can be concluded that the shape of the snowflake completely depends on the trajectory of its flight and temperature mode at different heights.
Snowflake classification
The International Commission for Studing Snow and Ice In 1951, a classification of solid precipitation was adopted. All crystals, according to it, can be divided into groups:
- plates;
- star dendrites;
- needles;
- columns;
- columns with tip;
- spatial dendrites;
- the formation of the wrong form.
- hail;
- icy grub;
- snowy small groove.
Description of the main types of snowflakes
- Star dendrites are crystals that differ in a branching, tree structure. They have 6 main branches located symmetrically, and many branches placed chaotically. The size of such formations, as a rule, is 5 mm in diameter, and their thickness is 0.1 mm. This suggests that such snowflakes are thin and flat.
- Stakes are the most common form of snowflakes, which is also called a column. Such hollow tubes may have a hexagon shape like a pencil, pointed at the end.
- The plates consist of a plurality of ice ribs that make a snowflake on the sector. Such formations are also very thin and flat.
- Needles are columnar crystals that grow thin and long. Sometimes inside they are hollow, and sometimes they can split into several branches.
- The tip columns differ in a columnar form, but under the influence of various factors can turn into thin plates, especially if they are brought into the zone where other temperatures prevail.
- Spatial dendrites are compressed or colliding columnar crystals that formed a bulk structure. In this case, each branch is located in a separate plane.
- The snowflakes of irregular shape are crystals that have experienced a lot of "adventures" during the flight. For example, they could be made to the turbulent zone, where they could lose some of the branches or completely fled. Such snowflakes can be seen with strong wind in the wet snow.
On the night of December 31, central Russia miraculously seen. Easy fluffy snow gave a New Year's mood and covered the ground with a soft white carpet, which will soften the effects of severe frosts.
Snowflakes, unique and unique, at all times interested scientists, and some of them were dedicated to the study of ice crystals all their lives.
One of the first scientists who conceived about the structure of the snow was a German mathematician and astronomer Johann Kepleler.(1571-1630). In 1611, he published a short treatise "New Year's gift, or hexagonal snowflakes", which can be called the first scientific work dedicated to snowflakes.
Because whenever the snow begins to go, the first snowflakes have the shape of a hexagonal star, then there must be a certain reason. For if it is an accident, then why there are no pentagonal or seven-core snowflakes, why hexagonal is always falling, unless they lose their shape from collisions, do not stick together in a set, and rarely fall and apart?
- Johann Kepler, New Year's gift, or hexagonal snowflakes, 1611 (translation Yu. A. Danilova)
Rene Descartes(1596-1650), French philosopher and mathematician, became the first to describe in detail the shape of snowflakes. Interestingly, even very rare shapes of ice crystals are mentioned in the records of Descartes, for example, crowded columns.
These were small ice plates, flat, very smooth and transparent, roughly with a sheet of thick paper ... perfect in hexagons, which were so straight, and the corners are so equal ... It's impossible to create something like that.
- Rene Descart, 1635
The invention of the microscope allowed English physics Robertu Goof (1635-1703) Publish in 1665 the work entitled "Micrography" in which the scientist described everything that could explore with the help of a new tool. The publication includes a lot of snowflake patterns, which first showed the complexity and intricateness of snow crystals.
Figure from "micrography" Robert Dungal
Quote
Studying snowflakes using a microscope, I found ... The stronger the increase, the more asymmetrical they seem. But this asymmetry can be attributed to melting or damage during the fall, but not the defect of nature.
- Robert Guk, Micrography, 1665
One of the first famous photographers snowflakes became Andrei Andreevich Sigson (1840-1907), Russian photo checker from Rybinsk. In total, he managed to take photos of about 200 different shapes of ice crystals. To do this, the photographer used a special technology: the snowflakes were caught on the mesh of silk, then using a microscope increased 15-24 times. So that fragile crystals are not melted during photographing, Sigson cooled his hands and breathed through a special tube.
Sigzon's snowflakes
The American pioneer photos of snowflakes became Wilson Bentley (1865-1931). In all her life, he made about 5,000 snowflake pictures. 2500 of them were published in 1931 in the book "Snow Crystals".
Bentley snowflakes, 1902
Ukihiro Nakaiai (1900-1962), Japanese physicist is the first scientist who systematized knowledge of ice crystals. Nakaia not only photographed snowflakes, but also learned to grow them in the laboratory. The result of the studies of the scientist was the book "Snowy crystals: natural and artificial", released in 1954.
Snowy crystals are letters sent to us from heaven.
- Ukihiro Nakhai, documentary "Snow Crystals", 1939
So how do snowflakes form?
Snowflakes are originated in the clouds, where ice crystals are formed on the smallest dust particles at a negative temperature. Then new ones are growing on these crystals, and so on. The structure of the water molecule causes the hexagonal shape of the crystal, between its rays, the angles are only 60 ° and 120 °.
Since at any time the conditions in which the snowflake grows, at least minimally, but differ, each crystal has a unique form. At the same time, all the rays of one snowflake are very similar, since crystallizes simultaneously in very similar conditions.
How many types of snowflakes?
Despite the uniqueness of crystals, they are still amenable to classification. However, in the opinion of the American scientist Kenneth of Libbrecht from the California Institute of Technology, this is a difficult occupation, since to some extent this is the case of the taste of each researcher. Libbrecht himself exys 35 types of snowflakes; Ukihiro Nakhai - 41 And the most difficult classification is proposed by meteorologists Magonyo and whether in 1966 - 80 different types of snow crystals.
Classification of Ukihiro Naparai. © U. Nakaya | Snow Crystals: Natural and Artificial (Harvard University Press, 1954)
However, there is a simpler classification developed in 1951 by the Snow and Ice Commission of the International Association of Scientific Hydrology - only 7 forms of snow crystals and 3 types of frozen precipitation.
Snowflake classes according to the international classification of snow. © A. K. Dunin, in the kingdom of snow, Publisher "Science", Novosibirsk, 1983
1. Plates
The simplest of the snowflakes is flat hexagonal prisms.
© kichigin | Shutterstock.com.
2. Stars
Like records, the stars are usually flat and thin, with six rays.
3. Stakes
Hollow inside, may have a pencil form.
4. Needles
Long and thin crystals, sometimes consist of several twigs.
© Kenneth G. Libbrecht, Caltech | Snowcrystals.com.
5. Spatial dendriti
Volumetric snowflakes are formed when several crystals are captured.
© Kenneth G. Libbrecht, Caltech | Snowcrystals.com.
6. Humped columns
They are formed if the columns fall into other conditions, and the crystals change the direction of growth.
© Yanping Wang | Shutterstock.com.
7. Wrong crystals
The most common type. It is formed during damage to the snowflakes.
© Kenneth G. Libbrecht, Caltech | Snowcrystals.com.
Highly high in the sky, where the air temperature is -30 and less, in the clouds of the water vapor are formed snowflakes. They appear not by themselves. Like the pearls, they need a kernel, the point of reference, from which the races of the snowy asterisk will grow. This can be anything - a frozen drip, a particle of smoke, dust. At first, hexagonal sheet is formed around the kernel, from which the rays can grow from the corners.
The shape of the snowflake depends on temperature, humidity, from the wind and on how the snowflake fell - a plastle or edge.
Snowflake species are a huge set, but there are several main types:
Prism - Hexagonal plates or thin columns.
Sometimes the cavity can be formed inside the column, then it is called hollow Column.
Needles - Long, thin crystals.
Dendriti - Snowflakes, which most often draw and cut out of paper.
The name of these snowflakes means "wood". Their rays actually resemble the sprigs of trees. Separately allocate fernic dendriti - They resemble flat fern bushes.
Stakes with tips - Hexagonal column, at the ends of which symmetric plates rose.
If the column is short, and the plates of different sizes, then such a snowflake is called double record.
Twelve radiation snowflakes - Sometimes the plates of columns with tips are formed with a turn relative to each other and the rays have grown out of them create twelve radial star.
Spatial crystals It turns out when not one grow out of the kernel, and several snowflakes. Over time, they can split into separate stars.
Crystals of irregular shape Appear when many small snowflakes have grown together with each other.
Actually hexagonal, just three of the six rays are shorter than others.
- Some of the most common. Their rays are not branched, the breakdown of stirre.
If the ribs appear on the rays, then the snowflake is called plate with sectors.
Snowflakes - transparent. But when they stick into flakes, the light is confused in their faces and therefore the snow looks white.
Where do snowflakes come from? What are they?The appearance of snowflakes
Very high, in the sky, where the temperature is -30, there is a cluster of water droplets - clouds. In the warm time of the year, the water drops fall out in the form of rain, and when winter comes, the cold froze microscopic water drops and turns them into ice crystals - snowflakes. Snowflakes are so many and all of them are different - there is not a single one.
The largest ever witnessed snowflake had a diameter of 12 cm. Usually, snowflakes have about 5 mm in diameter at a weight of 0.004.
There is even a snowflake classification by similar type:
Prism There are 6-coal plates and thin columns with a 6-coal cross section. In prisms, tiny sizes, they are almost not visible to the naked eye. The verge of prisms, very often decorate various complex patterns.
Needles - Thin and long snow crystals, they are formed at a temperature of approximately -5 degrees.
When considering, they look like small bright hairs.
Dendriti - Or weaving, have pronounced branching thin rays. More often are large crystals, they can be seen with the naked eye. The maximum size of the dendrite can reach 30 cm in diameter.
12-ray snowflakes - Sometimes columns with tips are formed with a turn of plates relative to each other by 30 degrees. When rays grow from each plate, the crystal with 12 rays is obtained.
Double plates - This type, the columns with tips have a short vertical part. The plates grow very quickly, from water vapor one of the bottom flashes the second and as a result grows larger in size.
Hollow columns - inside columns with a hexagonal cross section, cavities are formed. Interestingly, the form of cavities is symmetrical relative to the center of the crystal. It is necessary to build a lot to consider the collapse in small snowflakes.
Fern dendrites - This type is one of the largest. The branches of star dendrites grow thin and very frequent, as a result, the snowflake begins to be like a fern.
Spatial crystals - It happens that several snow crystals in various directions begins to grow from the microscopic drop. And after they can acquire a complex form. Such fascinated crystals can decay a few simple snowflakes.
Artificial snow - With the help of special snow guns, small drops of water spray in the air, which freeze in flight. As a result, such artificial snowflakes are similar to frozen water drops.
Crystals of irregular shape - Snowy crystals are often small, asymmetric and frantic with each other. To get beautiful symmetric crystals, you need to be a good set of many weather circumstances.
Triangular crystals - Such snowflakes are formed at a temperature of about -2 degrees. In fact, it is hexagonal prisms, some of the sides of which are significantly shorter than others. But on the faces there may be rays.
Stakes with tips - Such snowflakes can rarely see. The crystals begin to grow in the form of columns, but after the wind transfers them to the zone with other weather conditions, and then the plates begin to grow at their ends.
Star-like snowflakes - Such snowflakes are widespread. These are thin lamellar crystals, in the form of stars with six rays. More often they are decorated with symmetrical various patterns. Such snowflakes appear at -2 ° C or at -15 ° C.
Plate with sectors - This is a star-like lamellar snowflake, but with particularly noticeable ribs, which indicate the corners between the adjacent faces of the prism.
Crystal Crymoros - The clouds consist of a variety of water droplets, and sometimes these droplets are faced with snow crystals and stick to them. Frozen droplets are called frost. On the last photo of the snowflake is completely covered with frost.
Poulet sockets - Sometimes in the formation of crystals, they can grow and increase in random directions. Such formations are easily cleaned with separate crystals similar to bullets. Hence such an unusual name.
Split plate stars - Such forms of snowflakes are double plates, while part of one large plate grows with a part of another. These snowflakes have two different parts combined. Please note that in each case, the crystals are connected in the center with short axes.
The shape of the snowflake depends on the temperature:
Scientists have established that the shape of the snowflake depends on the temperature and humidity of the air.
For example, thin plates and stars grow around -2 ° C, and in the columns and needles appear at a temperature of about -5 ° C. Plates and stars appear again at a temperature of about -15 ° C, and the combination of plates and columns is produced about -30 ° C.
In addition, snow crystals tend to form simple forms when air humidity is low, and more complex forms are formed at higher humidity.
Skin Snow or Snow Sound
Skyrp snow is noise from crushed crystalline. A person cannot hear the sound of one breaking snowflakes. But billions of crushed crystals people hear this creak. Snow creaks only in the frost, and the volume of the screens varies depending on the air temperature - the stronger the frost, the louder creak. The enhancement of frosts makes ice crystals more solid and fragile. With every step, ice needles break and we hear the creak is very loud.
In the extreme north, the snow is so solid that the ax that the ax is struck by it, as if they hit the gland.
When the snowflake falls into the water, it creates a very high sound, immunity for a person. But this sound is extremely unpleasant to fish.
Snow color
White color is obtained from the air prisoner in the snowfish. The light is reflected from the faces of crystalline and air and after dissipating.
Snow itself is not only white. In the Arctic and mountain regions, pink or even red snow is a normal phenomenon. This is because algae live between crystals and they paint whole sections of snow.
We can look all the beauty and shape of ice crystals in the photos made using a special camera with a microscope.