Why study the physics of snowflakes?
There are several good reasons for studying how snowflakes form. First of all, crystals are useful in all sorts of applications, and we would like to know how to grow them better. Computers are carved out of silicon wafers, which in turn are cut from large silicon crystals. Many other semiconductor crystals are used for other electronics applications. Lasers are also made from crystals, and a variety of optical crystals are used extensively in telecommunications. Artificial diamond crystals are used in machining and grinding. The list of industrial crystals is actually quite long. By studying the physics of snowflakes, we learn about how molecules condense to form crystals. This basic knowledge applies to other materials as well. As we learn more about the physics and chemistry of how crystals grow, maybe someday we can use that knowledge to help fabricate new and better types of crystalline materials. This is the way that basic science becomes useful — figure out how things work the
