More Than a Simple Snowflake
In More Than a Simple Snowflake, Professor Brian Cox explains that while every iceberg has a different shape, they are each made up of tiny hexagonal snowflakes. As snowflakes fall through the sky, electromagnetic forces draw them together. This video is excerpted from BBC’s Forces of Nature, which combines some of the most spectacular sights on Earth with what we know about the Universe to reveal how the Earth’s beauty is created by just a few forces.
Lesson Express
Q: How does the temperature impact snowflakes?
A: When it is colder, the snowflakes are closer together and the electromagnetic force is stronger.
Q: What shape are snowflakes made of?
A: Every snowflake is hexagonal.
Q: What surprised you? What did you learn from this video?
A: Student responses will vary. Students may mention that all snowflakes are hexagons, or that snowflakes are all shaped differently.
More Like This
In How Avalanches Happen, narrator Richard Hammond explains how when the power of an avalanche is unleashed, most people never see it coming. As scientists learn more about what happens between individual snowflakes in the snow pack, they can better understand what happens leading up to an avalanche and save lives. This video is excerpted from BBC’s Invisible Worlds, which uncovers the hidden forces and unseen phenomena shaping our world.
In How Avalanches Happen, narrator Richard Hammond explains how when the power of an avalanche is unleashed, most people never see it coming. As scientists learn more about what happens between individual snowflakes in the snow pack, they can better understand what happens leading up to an avalanche and save lives. This video is excerpted from BBC’s Invisible Worlds, which uncovers the hidden forces and unseen phenomena shaping our world.