Interesting snow facts
Math
Snow is made up of snow flakes. Each one is unique and many (but not all) are 6 sided. Their construction varies in relation to many factors.
The most famous historic character to study snowflakes is a Wilson Bentley. Look him up on wiki for a fascinating story.
A fabulous website for everything you ever wanted to know about snowflakes by Kenneth G. Libbrecht: http://snowcrystals.com/
Here are some interesting estimates for your review.
Weight of 1 cubic foot snow:
Newly fallen: 3-4 lbs.
Light fluffy: 7 lbs.
Damp new: 6-12 lbs.
Settled: 12.5-19 lbs.
Average: 15 lbs.
Drifted: 20 lbs.
Wind packed: 22-25 lbs.
Firn: 25-52 lbs.
Glacier ice:52-57 lbs.
Solid ice: 57.43 lbs.
Water: 62.4 lbs.
Water content of snow: 5-32%
Gallons of water in 1 cubic foot of water: 7.48 gallons.
The most famous historic character to study snowflakes is a Wilson Bentley. Look him up on wiki for a fascinating story.
A fabulous website for everything you ever wanted to know about snowflakes by Kenneth G. Libbrecht: http://snowcrystals.com/
Here are some interesting estimates for your review.
Weight of 1 cubic foot snow:
Newly fallen: 3-4 lbs.
Light fluffy: 7 lbs.
Damp new: 6-12 lbs.
Settled: 12.5-19 lbs.
Average: 15 lbs.
Drifted: 20 lbs.
Wind packed: 22-25 lbs.
Firn: 25-52 lbs.
Glacier ice:52-57 lbs.
Solid ice: 57.43 lbs.
Water: 62.4 lbs.
Water content of snow: 5-32%
Gallons of water in 1 cubic foot of water: 7.48 gallons.
Math is great for helping build great snow sculptures.
How do I estimate the weight of a typical snow sculpture?
It's important to get it right so the the turntable does not collapse.
area=πr2
volume=πr2h
Using this last formula drives out about 40sq' for the Matisse snow form.
Using 25lbs/sq' from the above weight table, the total weight of a typical snow sculpture is 1000 lbs.
Each caster on the rotator is rated to hold 110lbs.
With 16 casters, the carrying weight mathematically totals 1760lbs.
With potential rain load and errors in estimation, the rotator should perform well.
But will the small wheels roll?
Update: they work!
How do I estimate the weight of a typical snow sculpture?
It's important to get it right so the the turntable does not collapse.
area=πr2
volume=πr2h
Using this last formula drives out about 40sq' for the Matisse snow form.
Using 25lbs/sq' from the above weight table, the total weight of a typical snow sculpture is 1000 lbs.
Each caster on the rotator is rated to hold 110lbs.
With 16 casters, the carrying weight mathematically totals 1760lbs.
With potential rain load and errors in estimation, the rotator should perform well.
But will the small wheels roll?
Update: they work!