Hi there! Do you ever see snow where you live? I live in California, and we only get snow in the mountains. But did you know you can buy fake snow? It’s what they use in movies when they need snow but don’t have any real snow around. It looks pretty real!
Today, we’re going to talk about a question from someone named Hudaifah. He asked, “Why is snow white?” That’s a great question because snow is made of water, and water is clear. So, why does snow look white?
Snow is made of tiny pieces of ice called snowflakes. Each snowflake is frozen water. Sometimes ice can look white, but it can also be clear, like a glass of water. Let’s take a closer look at a snowflake to understand more.
When we look at a snowflake under a microscope, we can see that it’s mostly clear. You can see right through it, just like clear ice. But there are parts of the snowflake that look white. These are the edges or bumps on the snowflake.
When you see a lot of snow on the ground, you’re actually looking at lots and lots of snowflakes all piled up. All those edges and bumps make the snow look white. It’s like when you stack clear pieces of glass on top of each other—they start to look white too!
But why are the edges of snowflakes white? It has to do with the color of the light shining on them. Snow can look different colors depending on the light. For example, snow can look pink at sunset or orange under street lamps.
During the day, the sun shines white light on the snow, which is why snow usually looks white. If the sun were a different color, like blue or purple, the snow would look blue or purple too!
Now that we know why snow is white, here’s something fun you can do! Try making your own snowflakes out of paper. You can cut out different shapes and see how they look when you pile them up. It’s a fun way to combine science and art!
Thanks for learning with me today! Remember, there are mysteries all around us, so stay curious and keep asking questions. See you next time!
Snowflake Observation: If you have access to a magnifying glass, try looking at different ice cubes or frost on a cold day. Can you see any edges or bumps like those on a snowflake? Draw what you see and compare it with your friends. Discuss how these tiny details might change how the ice looks when there’s a lot of it together.
Light and Color Experiment: Use a flashlight and colored cellophane or transparent colored plastic to shine different colors of light on a white piece of paper. Observe how the paper changes color. Discuss how this experiment relates to how snow can look different colors depending on the light, just like the snowflakes in the article.
Snowflake Art Project: Create a snow scene using cotton balls and construction paper. Glue cotton balls onto the paper to represent snowflakes. Notice how the cotton balls look white when they are all together. Discuss how this is similar to real snowflakes piling up to look white, even though each one is clear.
**Sanitized Transcript:**
(electronic beeping) – Hi, it’s Doug. Do you get snow where you live? I live in California, where the only snow we get is up in the mountains. But you can buy this stuff. It’s fake snow. It’s what they use in movies when they don’t have real snow around, and it looks pretty real. Someone named Hudaifah has a question about snow. Let’s give him a call now. (ringing) – Hi Doug. – Hi Hudaifah. – I have a question for you. Why is snow white? – That’s a great question. Snow is really white, isn’t it? You know, it’s actually surprising that snow has a color at all. After all, snow is made of water. Water is totally clear. You can see right through it. So, if snow is made of water, why does it look white? Do you have any ideas? Now would be a good time to pause the video and discuss. Okay, you ready? Well, you might know that each piece of snow, each snowflake, is a tiny piece of ice. Snow is made of water that’s frozen. Maybe that has something to do with it. Ice can look white sometimes, right? But ice can also be clear, just like a glass of water. It would be helpful if we could get a closer look at a snowflake. This person is taking a snowflake and putting it under a microscope. That way she can see what it looks like close up. Check it out. Look at that. This is what a snowflake looks like close up. Wow! Now you can see a snowflake is mostly clear. You can see right through it, just like a glass of water or a clear piece of ice. But is the entire snowflake clear? Do you see any parts that don’t look clear? Like notice here, here, here. These parts look more white, don’t they? What is it about these parts that makes them look white? Well, if we could turn a snowflake on its side like this, we would see that a snowflake isn’t completely flat. It has bumps or edges all over it. Notice how the white parts of the snowflake are the parts that have those edges or bumps. But still, a snowflake is mostly clear. So, why would snow look white? I mean, why doesn’t snow look clear? Well, keep in mind, when you’re looking at a bunch of snow like this, you’re looking at lots and lots of snowflakes all piling up. That means you’re looking at a lot more of those edges. We can see the same thing with other clear materials. Like this piece of glass. This is a helpful way to think about it. Just like a snowflake, this piece of glass is mostly clear. You can see through it. But notice how some of the edges look white. Well now, watch what happens as we pile up more and more pieces of glass on top of each other, just like snowflakes piling up. I’ll speed things up a bit here. You see that! Look, it’s starting to look a lot more white. This explains why a single snowflake looks mostly clear. But snow, itself, which is made of lots of snowflakes, doesn’t look clear anymore. It looks white. But why do the edges of each snowflake look white? Why not some other color? Well, what if I told you that snow isn’t always white? Take a look at the snow here. What color would you say it is? It doesn’t look white anymore. I would say it looks pink, and that’s because you’ve got the pink light of the sunset shining on it. Or check this out. Here the snow looks orange, from the orange light of these street lamps. The edges of each snowflake aren’t always white. It depends on the color of the light that’s shining on them. So why is snow white? Where is there white light that’s shining on snow? It’s right here, the sun. Sunlight is usually white, at least in the middle of the daytime. Now I know, you might think of sunlight as being yellow. Like maybe when you draw a picture, you color the sun yellow. But in real life, have a look at this. When the sun is high in the sky during the day, you see it’s actually more white than it is yellow. So in summary, snowflakes are mostly clear, except for their bumps or edges. It’s at the edges where it looks more white. When we’re looking at snow, we’re seeing lots of snowflakes all piled together, so we’re seeing all those edges. The reason the edges of each snowflake look white has to do with the color of the sunlight. Sunlight looks white when it’s the middle of the day. So snow is white because the sun is white. But if the sun were blue or purple, then snow would look blue or purple too. That’s all for this week’s question. Thanks, Hudaifah, for asking it. Now we have something special for this week’s episode. My friends and I here at Mystery Science have created a step-by-step activity that combines science with art. You can find a link to the activity at the end of this video. Okay for the next episode, I reached into my question jar and found three questions submitted to me that I’m thinking about answering. When this video’s done playing, you’ll get to vote on one. You can choose from, how did the seasons get their names? How do icicles form? Or, why does it get cold in winter? So submit your vote when the video’s over. I want to hear from all of you watching. There are mysteries all around us. Stay curious and see you next week.
