SCIENCE CURRENT EVENTS

NAME: Leah PERIOD: Five

Sharaby
DATE: February

26,

2009
Name of the Article: Scientists

Build Computer

Model for Snowflakes

Name of the Author: Reuters Source of the Article: MSNBC.COM 1. Summarize the article in 5-8 sentences.

On Tuesday, researchers announced that, after four years, they have perfected a computer program that can recreate the symmetrical uniqueness of snowflakes. It took two mathematicians from the University of Wisconsin, Madison, and the University of California, Davis, to develop the computer program and carry out the computations. Snowflakes form from water molecules crystallizing around a speck of dust and/or additional Substances. This can only occur when tiny super-cooled cloud droplets (about 10 m in diameter) freeze. The individual ice crystals often have hexagonal symmetry, and are all different in some way; not one is the same. The program cannot just recreate these unique snow crystals, but it may also help meteorologists predict how snowflake types can affect the amount of water that reaches the ground. "Water is the most amazing molecule in the universe, pure and simple," Wisconsin researcher David Griffeath said. "It's just three little atoms, but its physics and chemistry are unbelievable."
2. Find 3 new vocabulary words from the article and write a definition for each.

meteorologists: the scientific study of the Earth's atmosphere, especially its patterns of climate and weather
1st Vocabulary word:

2nd Vocabulary word: molecule:

the smallest physical unit of a substance that can exist independently, consisting of one or more atoms held together by chemical forces
3rd Vocabulary word: atom:

the smallest portion into which an element can be divided and still retain its properties, made up of a dense, positively charged nucleus surrounded by a system of electrons. Atoms usually do not divide in chemical reactions except for some removal, transfer, or exchange of specific electrons.
3. Does the article have validity? Explain your answer.

Yes, it does have validity. I know this because it discusses a scientific researcher who helped with this computer program: David Griffeath
4. What new questions does this article create for you?

How technologically advanced are we? Are we truly this far; where will we go from here? How come nearly no one has heard of this, while it has been going on for about four years? What scientific project are they working on now?
5. How does the information in this article change or support current information and
discoveries?

It doesnt really change anything, but it clearly shows that after just four years of study, we can do the unbelievable.
6. What conclusions can you make after reading the article?

We are really advanced in technology and are not even aware of itwhich is a no-no to the extreme. Even if it just involves snowflakes, we should be aware of what it is goes on write under our noses