What's Wrong With This Snowflake?

#1

Post by DrJokepu » Mon, Jan 04, 2010, 5:37 PM UTC

I have found the article on The Old New Thing: http://blogs.msdn.com/oldnewthing/archive/2010/01/04/9943210.aspx

What's Wrong With This Snowflake?
npr.org

Re: What's Wrong With This Snowflake?

#2

Post by hga » Mon, Jan 04, 2010, 6:08 PM UTC

Source code here: http://psoup.math.wisc.edu/Snowfakes.htm (roughly in the middle of the page).

Re: What's Wrong With This Snowflake?

#3

Post by vinhboy » Mon, Jan 04, 2010, 6:22 PM UTC

learned something new today. thanks.

Re: What's Wrong With This Snowflake?

#4

Post by nitrogen » Mon, Jan 04, 2010, 6:36 PM UTC

I was hoping this story would be about actual snowflakes discovered with unusual structures.

Re: What's Wrong With This Snowflake?

#5

Post by slapshot » Mon, Jan 04, 2010, 6:46 PM UTC

Writing letters about the fact that artistic snowflakes aren't the same as "real" snowflakes is like writing to complain that the symbol of a heart for "I love you While scientifically correct, he's also a little pedantic.

Re: What's Wrong With This Snowflake?

#6

Post by [deleted] » Mon, Jan 04, 2010, 6:48 PM UTC

[deleted]

Re: What's Wrong With This Snowflake?

#7

Post by rbanffy » Mon, Jan 04, 2010, 6:48 PM UTC

Well... It's not water ice... 8 sides, symmetrical four-by-four at a 45 degree angle, no stems and only borders...

I won't say it's impossible to naturally form it, but I am certain it wouldn't involve clouds of water vapor. Perhaps around proteins or some biological process...

Re: What's Wrong With This Snowflake?

#8

Post by nfnaaron » Mon, Jan 04, 2010, 6:59 PM UTC

slapshot wrote: post #5

Writing letters about the fact that artistic snowflakes aren't the same as "real" snowflakes is like writing to complain that the symbol of a heart for "I love you While scientifically correct, he's also a little pedantic.

But understandable, since seeing the ad in Nature was probably the last straw.

I wonder how many manifestos are the result of someone snapping?

Re: What's Wrong With This Snowflake?

#9

Post by dangoldin » Mon, Jan 04, 2010, 7:00 PM UTC

slapshot wrote: post #5

Writing letters about the fact that artistic snowflakes aren't the same as "real" snowflakes is like writing to complain that the symbol of a heart for "I love you While scientifically correct, he's also a little pedantic.

I think the fact that the error was in a scientific magazine warrants the letter.

Re: What's Wrong With This Snowflake?

#10

Post by sgk284 » Mon, Jan 04, 2010, 7:18 PM UTC

slapshot wrote: post #5

Writing letters about the fact that artistic snowflakes aren't the same as "real" snowflakes is like writing to complain that the symbol of a heart for "I love you While scientifically correct, he's also a little pedantic.

Agreed. Aesthetics > Reality.

I wrote a fun little web app to draw snowflakes a few weeks ago: http://www.create-a-snowflake.com/ . I settled on 8 sides, although the first version had an option to have anywhere from 4 to 20 sides.