Snowman, Who are You?

Around 112 pounds for a typical snowman. Wow! Can you show us the calculation?

1. Determine the Weight of the Snow.

• It depends on the humidity, but generally a slightly wet snow has a weight of 15 pounds per cubic feet, and a packed version weights more at around 20+ pounds per cubic feet.
  
• For a more accurate weight in your area, you can put compact snow in a container measuring 1 cubic feet and weigh it.

2. Measure the Height of the Snowman and Radius of each Snowball

• A typical snowman is about 4 feet tall: 2 feet for the bottom snowball, 16 inches (1.33 feet) for the body and 8 inches (0.67 foot) for the head.


• Radius = diameter divided by half. Therefore, the bottom, body and head snowball's radii are 1 feet, 0.67 foot and 0.33 foot respectively.

3. Find out the Volume of the 3 Snowballs

• The formula to calculate the volume of a sphere (snowball): radius x radius x radius x Pi (3.1416) x 4 / 3


• The weight is simply be volume of snowball x weight per volume, i.e. 20 pounds per cubic feet.

Therefore,

• Weight of the head = 0.33 x 0.33 x 0.33 x 3.1416 x 4/3 x 20 = 3 pounds


• Weight of the body = 0.67 x 0.67 x 0.67 x 3.1416 x 4/3 x 20 = 25 pounds


• Weight of the bottom = 1 x 1 x 1 x 3.1416 x 4/3 x 20 = 84 pounds

Grand total: 112 pounds.

Yeah, we all know how to build snowmen, but can you make it just a little bit nicer and bigger?

Here is a checklist, some of which come from a snowman expert, whose team once built a 122-feet snowman: the biggest one on records!

1. You want sticky snow. By sticky, it means heavy, slightly (but not overly) wet snow, because this type of snow sticks well together. Generally, it is available when the weather isn't too cold and the snow is relatively fresh. Once temperature drops to a certain level, e.g. below 20F, the snow becomes dry and powdery -- great for skiing, but no fun for snowman building.



2. Enough snow on the ground. Usually, at least 4 inches of snow is required so you can effectively roll the snowball into bigger ones.
   Pick a clean spot. Anywhere without leavse and trigs is good. Make a small dent so the bottom snowball can stay securely on the spot.



3. Roll snowball in different direction. If you roll it in one direction it looks more like a cylinder than anything else. Of course, you may prefer a slim snowman... let your creativity shines!



4. Remember the patting. Patting the "growing" snowball once in a while to make sure the snow is fairly tightly packed.



5. Don't roll the ball too far away. The snowball gets pretty heavy when it approaches 2 feet in diameter (typical size for the bottom part of the snowman). Just remember not to get too excited and roam too far away from where you want the snowman ends up.



6. Make a small dent on the bottom snowball. This will prevent the second (the body) snowball from falling. The second ball should be slightly smaller, e.g. 14-18 inches in diameter.



7. The third snowball is optional. But traditionally snowman is made of three snowball. Again, smaller ball, probably around 8 inches in diameter.



8. Drill in the sticks and carrots. You should do it relatively gently, with a circular drilling motion to avoid cracking the snowballs, especially if you find the snow is not heavy/wet enough.



9. Typical decorations are coal for eyes and carrots for nose. If coal is not available, large buttons or rocks will do.



10. Be creative! stick some braided straws for a lady snowman, or spary some color-water to make rosy cheeks. If it is your children's first snowman, take lots of pictures (and share with us here). Have fun!

Tips for Parents:

Is there a "best time" to build a snowman?
Yes, in the next warmest afternoon directly following a snowfall with a sufficient amount of snow.

What if the snow is not sticky enough?
If the snow in our area is generally dry and powdery. And my kids just can't wait, you can try wetting the snow slightly: if you have your garden hose, put it on fine mist and spray.

Beware!

• Snowman usually melt quite quickly on a hot day. Remember to remove clothing before hand to avoid it being stuck under melting ice.


• Your little girl might want to put your treasured necklace and designer eye-glasses on the snow-woman... not a good idea!

Abominable Snowman, or Yeti (Tibetan word meaning "rocky place"), is a human or apelike creature believably lived in the Himalayan region of Nepal and Tibet. While there were a number of reported sights of the creature, most of the evidence was based on footprints and the scientific community largely regards abominable snowman as a legend.

When was the abominable snowman first mentioned?
In 1921, Lieutenant-Colonel Charles Howard-Bury wrote about the footprints he found in his chronicle about his Mount Everest expedition. He believed they were footprints from a wolf but his Sherpa said that it must be those of "metoh-kangmi", the "The Wild Man of the Snows", or the snowman.

What does it look like?
Legend has it that the abominable snowman is about 6 - 8 feet tall and covered with long, dark hair. Similar to "Bigfoot" known in North America.

Have there been scientific research and investigation on abominable snowman?
In 1950s, Sir Edmund Hillary and other scientists attempted to verify the authenticity of its tracks but with no conclusive results. Since then, the scientific community has largely dismissed its existence.

Then why does the legend linger?
A big, mysterious creature lurking in the snow makes fascinating stories, right? The abominable snowman has been featured in various films, TV shows, video games and even theme park rides:

• 1957 British horror film The Abominable Snowman


• 2001 Pixar film Monsters, Inc. where the main character monstor goes by the name Abominable Snowman


• 2008 Hollywood action film The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor, where the creature is a superheroic figure


• For TV shows, the abominable snowman appears in the annual American Christmas broadcast special Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer as 'The Bumble', and as the robotic Yeti in The Abominable Snowmen


• For video games, it appears in Pokemon, Cabela's Dangerous Hunts 2, Spyro: Year of the Dragon and Gladius


• The Yeti is featured in the theme ride Expedition Everest at Walt Disney World Resort's Animal Kingdom, where the Yeti, in the form of a computer generated shadow and a large robotic creature, attacks a mountain train.

"Frosty the Snowman" is a popular song written by Walter "Jack" Rollins and Steve Nelson in 1950. "Frosty" the character was later adapted to other media such as a popular television special.

The song is about a bunch of children found a magical hat which made "Frosty" came to life. Then, together they played games and other "jolly things". In the end, the children were sad to see Frosty leaving, but Frosty reassured them that "I'll be back on Christmas Day!". Click here for the complete Frosty the Snowman lyrics.

• The Snowman: British picture book (1978) by Raymond Briggs and animation (1982) directed by Dianne Jackson about a boy who builds a snowman that comes alive and takes him to the North Pole.



• Calvin and Hobbes: The witty American cartoon contains many instances of Calvin building funny snowmen. Click here for a collection of Calvin and Hobbes snowmen from Google Image.



• Der Schneemann: a 1943 animated short film created in Germany.