Document Type
Article
Publication Date
2026
DOI
10.1119/5.0299244
Publication Title
The Physics Teacher
Volume
64
Issue
2
Pages
165
Abstract
The article discusses snow crystal formation and the vast quantities of snowflakes produced in the atmosphere, highlighting that approximately a million billion snow crystals are created every second. It provides a comparison of the mass and molecular composition of snow crystals and ice cubes, noting that a typical snow crystal may contain around 10^18 molecules. The text also mentions the variability in snow's water content and presents estimation questions related to snowmen production and individual contributions to the water cycle. These questions encourage readers to engage with the concepts of snow formation and precipitation through estimation techniques.
Rights
© 2026 American Institute of Physics
This article may be downloaded for personal use only. Any other use requires prior permission of the author and AIP Publishing. This article appeared in
Adam, J. (2026). Cold war: The rise of the snowman army. The Physics Teacher, 64(2), 165.
and may be found at https://doi.org/10.1119/5.0299244
Original Publication Citation
Adam, J. (2026). Cold war: The rise of the snowman army. The Physics Teacher, 64(2), 165. https://doi.org/10.1119/5.0299244
ORCID
0000-0001-5537-2889 (Adam)
Repository Citation
Adam, John, "Cold War: The Rise of the Snowman Army" (2026). Mathematics & Statistics Faculty Publications. 333.
https://digitalcommons.odu.edu/mathstat_fac_pubs/333