Big Science Bang: The Science of Snow

The Big Science Bang want’s to explore the science of snow.
We are travelling 1,000 km up north to Lapland to show you a lot of snow.
Here we are at Kevo Subarctic Research Station, in the most northern part of Finland.
Kevo is a part of the University of Turku, which is located way down in southwest Southwest Finland.
The researchers at Kevo focus on northern nature and the people of subarctic Lapland.
Snow is such an essential part of Finnish winter that we have more than 50 words for snow.
Such as ”loska”, ”nuoska” and ”räntä”.
Snowflakes are shaped by temperature, humidity, wind and other physical conditions.
The shape of a snowflake can be for example a needle, a prism, a star or a column.
Next, we are going to find out the fastest way to move on snow.
I hereby open the Great Snow Competition of the Big Science Bang.
We have on skis Linda, on snowshoes Jaakko and on foot Einari.
We are going to find out who crosses the finish line first.
Why did you choose skis?
Well, skis carry a person’s weight like snowshoes, but with skis I can slide and use less energy.
I also have these fantastic skiing sticks for pushing more speed.
So Jaakko, why did you choose snowshoes?
Because it’s rather difficult to go by foot.
I took these, so I can distribute my weight to a larger area and hopefully stay on top of the snow.
What’s your secret weapon Einari?
Well, my secret weapon are my large feet.
I hope they’re enough to keep me on top of the snow, but at the moment it’s looking rather bad.
On your marks, get set, go!
One of the most popular winter activities in Finland is sledding.
The sled slides down the hill because of gravity.
The steeper the hill, the faster the sled goes.
The speed of the sled is affected by friction.
The smaller the sled, the less friction.
But it has to be large enough to stay on top of the snow.
Three tips for sledding.
First, keep the centre of gravity low.
Second, distribute the weight evenly.
Third, be aerodynamic.
And the most important thing is, do not eat yellow snow.

Big Science Bang: The Science of Snow

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