Consider all the points on a snowflake and every possible branch from each point and every possible branch from every possible branch from every possible branch from every possible branch from….?possible snowflakes formed at random would be the product of all possibilities. 6 points, each of which can form 6 branches - but might not- each of which might form 6 branches — but might not and you quickly get to more snowflake shapes possible than there are atoms in the universe..fairly unlikely
If the theory of alternate universes without end turns out to be fact, then not only are there two snowflakes that are just alike, there is an infinite number of them that are just alike.
Oh, and just for the fun of it, consider that every oxygen atom has at least two naturally occuring isotopes as does each hydrogen atom. Therefor, even if you passed the superastronomical number of combinations of possible branches and sizes to have two which seemed identical, the combinations of isotopes comes into play. The thirteen quadrillionth hydrogen atom of each could be regular hydrogen or deuterium, most likely regular hydrogen but a certain percentage MUST be deuterium. The thirteen quadrillionth and one has two possibilities and two has two possibilities, et cetera. So if you knew the sequence of one, the probability of the other having the same sequence as the other is something like the product of probabilities for each atom being the same isotope.Say each had a one half probability of occuring. (They don’t, but that fact is offset by the extremely low probability of two rare isotopes occuring at the same time for each atom.) So the probability of each being the same is about one half times one half times one half each time per identical atom, remembering there are around 6.022 × 10 to the twenty-third atoms of hydrogen per gram of hydrogen and about a sixteenth that many per gram of oxygen and you are looking at 0.5 raised to ten to the 16th power per microgram snowflake. (Normal snowflakes would have many more atoms and be that much less probable.).So just ’tain’t likely two will be alike in less than an infinitr number of universes and tl go THAT route we have to prove such a multiverse actually exists to hope for that identical snowflake. . . It’s actually more complicated than that but just consider the complexity of the simplified version above.
Chithing Premium Member over 10 years ago
Eventually, Route 66 will run right by there.
Harry Grapjas over 10 years ago
I always wondered: how do they know that no two snowflakes are alike? Did anyone compare them ALL?
David Huie Green LosersBlameOthers&It'sYOURfault over 10 years ago
I remember Lucy in Peanuts announcing she had found two exactly alike.
David Huie Green LosersBlameOthers&It'sYOURfault over 10 years ago
Consider all the points on a snowflake and every possible branch from each point and every possible branch from every possible branch from every possible branch from every possible branch from….?possible snowflakes formed at random would be the product of all possibilities. 6 points, each of which can form 6 branches - but might not- each of which might form 6 branches — but might not and you quickly get to more snowflake shapes possible than there are atoms in the universe..fairly unlikely
srchief78 over 10 years ago
well i’d like to know who verifed and how they did it for every snowflake that has evver fallen all over the world
KEA over 10 years ago
wait! BC’s snowflake has 5 lobes?!? that’s the most amazing thing of all!
jtviper7 over 10 years ago
Anyone ever see a snow storm in upstate N.Y.? One day as a kid , I counted 1,586,247,5668,555,999 snow flakes, and 14 ice-cycles just in my back yard…
Mowog over 10 years ago
That’snoflake.
tbritt99 over 10 years ago
Heavy snow in the forecast
danketaz Premium Member over 10 years ago
Heck, Clumsy Carp once found four .
boldyuma over 10 years ago
Paul Bunyan, Jolly Green Giant snowball fight anyone?..
dumbbobsbrother over 10 years ago
If the theory of alternate universes without end turns out to be fact, then not only are there two snowflakes that are just alike, there is an infinite number of them that are just alike.
AmyGrantfan51774 over 10 years ago
I live in Houston Texas so snowflakes are rare
David Huie Green LosersBlameOthers&It'sYOURfault over 10 years ago
Oh, and just for the fun of it, consider that every oxygen atom has at least two naturally occuring isotopes as does each hydrogen atom. Therefor, even if you passed the superastronomical number of combinations of possible branches and sizes to have two which seemed identical, the combinations of isotopes comes into play. The thirteen quadrillionth hydrogen atom of each could be regular hydrogen or deuterium, most likely regular hydrogen but a certain percentage MUST be deuterium. The thirteen quadrillionth and one has two possibilities and two has two possibilities, et cetera. So if you knew the sequence of one, the probability of the other having the same sequence as the other is something like the product of probabilities for each atom being the same isotope.Say each had a one half probability of occuring. (They don’t, but that fact is offset by the extremely low probability of two rare isotopes occuring at the same time for each atom.) So the probability of each being the same is about one half times one half times one half each time per identical atom, remembering there are around 6.022 × 10 to the twenty-third atoms of hydrogen per gram of hydrogen and about a sixteenth that many per gram of oxygen and you are looking at 0.5 raised to ten to the 16th power per microgram snowflake. (Normal snowflakes would have many more atoms and be that much less probable.).So just ’tain’t likely two will be alike in less than an infinitr number of universes and tl go THAT route we have to prove such a multiverse actually exists to hope for that identical snowflake. . . It’s actually more complicated than that but just consider the complexity of the simplified version above.