How come it is not possible that 2 snowflakes have identical shapes?

Answer 1

In order to answer this question it would first be necessary to define "identical" and "shape." Down to a subatomic level, it is fairly safe to say that no two snowflakes are identical, mainly because the permutations of factors (arrangement of water molecules, contaminants and their locations within the structure, even the spins of the quarks --and here we are disregarding quantum theory, which would render the question moot; if you can't precisely measure "shape," how could you ascertain identicalness) preposterously, astronomically dwarfs the total number of snowflakes in existence.

On a more practical level, there's no real reason that two snowflakes couldn't look identical to the human eye, but the vast number of possibilities for even the macro-construction thereof combined with the transient nature of the flakes in an observable environment (they melt while yer looking, donchaknow) makes it extremely unlikely that any observer could record two flakes with even a remote claim to identicalness.

Answer 2

This is something to do with the amount of factors that go into deciding the shape of a snowflake. There are only a finate number of possibilities.

Answer 3

I don't think that this is impossible. I just think that 2 snowflakes with the exact same shape haven't come down at the same time. Just because no one has seen it, doesn't mean that it's impossible.

Answer 4

i think its a myth who knows that theyre not 2 alike its impossible to look at every snowflake on earth there probably are more than 2 alike

Answer 5

Temperature and atmospheric pressure variables are never totally identical in two places, and matter cannot occupy more than one space at a time, so ice crystals form slightly different every time they form.

Answer 6

Who is gonna check?
Probably not the same because all borne in different conditions.