> While snowflakes may have different designs, they always have how many sides?And the answer: six sides.Photo courtesy: kichigin/ShutterstockEvery snowflake has six main sides orpoints. This is due to ice crystals joining to one another in the shape of ahexagon. According to the UK Office of Meteorology, this arrangement "allowswater molecules – each with one oxygen and two hydrogen atoms – to form togetherin the most efficient way."Every plate, branch, and needle that form the outline of a snowflake contributeto what's known as the emergent properties of that given snowflake. All of thesedetails create complexity based on very simple rules – rules that go back to thebasic laws of physics. In the air, or in liquid, water molecules are zipping around and bouncing off ofeach other trillions of times per second. We have no way of knowing where thesemolecules are, or which way they're facing, at any given moment. As heat isremoved, these molecules slow down until the hydrogen bonds between moleculessettle down and into order. This is known as freezing. As freezing occurs towater vapor, it forms the unique structure of a snowflake. The structure of a snowflake can be found in as few as six water molecules.Beginning as a tiny speck of dust or pollen, the snowflake catches water vaporout of the air and forms its most basic shape: a tiny hexagon called "diamonddust." Then, randomness takes over. More and more water molecules land on theflake until it forms the intricate snowflake shape we know and love. Factorssuch as temperature and humidity can affect the qualities of the flake, but itsindividual structure is randomly constructed by chance (and a touch of physics). What do you think? Could a snowflake ever find its identical twin? Check out thevideo below to learn more.