why is ice clear and yet snow is white ?

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why is ice clear and yet snow is white ?

2007-06-19 04:56:23 · 3 answers · asked by Anonymous in Science & Mathematics ➔ Other - Science

3 answers

In a nutshell:

Light doesn't pass directly through ice. The light hits the ice and bounces into different directions, making it look translucent, or clear. When light hits a layer of snow, it goes through the snowflake on top, where it changes direction and heads through another snowflake, and so on. All the light gets bounced around and is reflected back, giving the appearance of white.

2007-06-19 05:07:15 · answer #1 · answered by raspberrytart 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋

It is the air in the snow.

2007-06-19 12:29:21 · answer #2 · answered by JOHNNIE B 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋

pockets of air.

2007-06-19 15:48:52 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋