Hooked on Science: Ultimate snowball

Materials

• Snow

Instructions

• STEP 1: Scoop up enough snow to fill your hands.
• STEP 2: Merge your snow-filled hands together and apply pressure. Gradually increase the pressure while rotating your hands.
• STEP 3: Once you feel some resistance, smooth the surface of your snowball, throw the snowball and observe.

Explanation

Adding pressure to the snowball allows some of the snow to melt. When released, the liquid refreezes, fusing the snowball together. The ideal temperature for the perfect snowball is 32 degrees. The amount of pressure needed to melt some of your snowball increases as the temperature drops.