The most detailed answer to the question of why the snow crunches underfoot
Children know how to puzzle parents with questionsand other adults: "Why is the sky above us blue?", "Why does the sun shine?", "Why does the river flow?" ... In winter, the favorite children's question: "Why is the snow white, crunches and creaks underfoot?" interest at once, because the current winter - not the last, and if you hush up the question now, then he will face parents in just a year.
Snow Color
Why the snow crunches under our feet, we will understand a littleLater, let's define first with the first part of the question. Children who are ripe for him, already know that the snow - it's frozen water, that is, ice. The ice is transparent, accordingly - colorless, so why is the snow still white?
If you catch a snowflake and carefully into itit is not difficult to see that it is basically also transparent. The color it acquires only when its facets reflect light - anyway, sunny or artificial. And if the snowflakes were neatly stacked, they would seem transparent, except that the faces would be painted - in the color of the sky or the nearest advertising bigboard. However, snow falls randomly, faces are exposed to the sun at different angles, reflect and refract it, again chaotic. As a result, the eyes perceive the freshly fallen snowdrift as perfectly white (of course, if there are no clouds in the sky).
When the snow crunches
Now it remains to find out why the snow creaks underfeet. Remembering that snowflakes are ice cubes, the answer to this question is not too difficult. The ice crystals they are are quite fragile, although they are solid. Under pressure on them (for example, under the weight of a person walking in the snow), snowflakes are destroyed, making a barely audible crunch. He accompanies the same almost (but only almost!) Soundless creaking from the friction of tiny ice cubs one by one. If only one snowflake broke, the human ear would not be able to hear such a quiet sound. However, their tens of thousands, and even millions - and the crackle with a creak become audible. In addition, between the individual snowflakes in the snowdrift from the frost, very thin bonds appear-bridges invisible to the eye, but adding to their noise their note.
When the snow does not creak
Scions are not always satisfied with the answer: or consider it abstruse, or it does not coincide with their vision of the world. However, more often the following questions arise logically from your explanations: "And then why does the snow crunch underfoot in frost, and when it is not very cold-no?" First of all, because snowflakes become more flexible, elastic and do not break in minor colds immediately - many under pressure are melting. Friction between individual crystals is also absent - it is "smeared" with water, which does not have time to freeze. And bridges, interlayers, too, are not formed, so there is nothing to burst. Accordingly, the question: "Why does the snow crunch underfoot" in the child walking next to it does not arise. True, only to the nearest cold snap!
However, parents who explained why the snowcrunches under your feet, and the sweating from your forehead, relieved, is not worth it. Very soon their child will be pleased with their next question - and who knows how successful it will be to answer it.
